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An Expert List Of The World's Best Universities

Mob Quad is a four-sided group of buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries in Merton College, Oxford.

The University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world, takes the No. 1 spot for the third year running on a ranking of the world’s best universities released today by Times Higher Education (THE), a UK-based publication that tracks the higher ed market. The University of Cambridge is No. 2 and Stanford is No. 3.

Unlike Forbes’ top colleges ranking, which only measures U.S. schools, THE casts its net around the globe. The list emphasizes scholarship, research funding and reputation and does not consider things like entry requirements, graduation rates, professor ratings or alumni salaries. We think THE’s list is worth covering because it’s become one of the most respected international university rankings, cited in higher ed legislation in countries like Russia and India, which hope to boost their institutions’ stature.

“We cover the areas that matter most to policy development,” say THE editorial director Phil Baty. “We look at research excellence and the reputation in the global community, and what universities do for society and the economy.”

THE gives a lot of weight to universities’ efficacy as graduate institutions, weighing things like the number of doctorates awarded and the extent to which top scholars teach and mentor undergraduates. THE considers only universities and not colleges. For THE’s complete methodology, click here.

Oxford takes the No. 1 spot because it is strong across every area THE measures. Its total research funding from industry and government in 2016-17 came to $743 million, according to Oxford spokesman Stephen Rouse. The school’s many industry collaborations include research supported by BAE Systems and Nissan that led to the 2014 creation of an Oxford spin-out company, Oxbotica, which develops autonomous vehicle software. Last year, private equity firm Kingsley Capital Partners made a $12.36 million initial investment in a new biopharmaceutical firm, Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies that is working with Oxford faculty to develop new cannabis-based treatments for pain, cancer and inflammatory diseases. And Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk is making an expected $158 million investment over 10 years to fund type 2 diabetes research at Oxford.

Oxford and Cambridge, No. 2 on the list, also stand out for their personalized approach to teaching, called tutorials at Oxford and supervisions at Cambridge. Students in groups of between one and three people meet one or two times a week for an hour with a professor to exchange ideas and feedback on assignments.

While Harvard dominates most U.S. lists, ranking No. 1 on the Forbes list and No. 2 on U.S. News’, it is not the top U.S. school ranked by THE. Stanford is ranked higher, at No. 3, says Baty, because like Oxford and Cambridge, it gets lots of funding from industry. Example: Stanford has an AI Affiliates Program where companies like Google, Panasonic and Tencent each provide $600,000 over three years to support artificial intelligence research.

While U.S. schools still dominate THE’s listing, Baty says that Asian schools are rising in the ranks. The No. 1 school on the continent, ranked No. 22, is Tsinghua University, overtaking New York University and London School of Economics and Political Science. “I would describe it as the MIT of China,” says Baty. Based in Beijing, Tsinghua receives generous funding from the Chinese government. “There is a major drive in China to get Chinese scholars to pursue their careers in China rather than abroad,” adds Baty. The university has its own in-house asset management company, Tsinghua Holdings, that backs companies that grow out of university research, including mobile internet, cloud computing, nuclear energy, wastewater treatment and medical services.

THE doesn’t factor the cost of attendance into its ranking, but if it did, the contrast between U.S. and international schools would be striking. Both private and public universities in the U.S. charge more than universities in any other country. For example, a Stanford undergraduate who received no financial aid paid almost $50,000 in tuition in the 2017-18 academic year. By contrast, Oxford’s tuition for students from the European Union is the equivalent of $12,000 while students from outside the E.U. pay $32,000. Also earning an undergraduate degree at Oxford and Cambridge takes only three years.

THE started in 1971 as a division of The Times of London newspaper and is now a stand-alone company owned by TPG Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. This is the 15th year THE has produced its World University Ranking.

Below is a table of the top 50 schools on Times Higher Education’s World University Ranking 2019. For the complete ranking click here.

In February 2018, I took on a new job managing and writing Forbes' education coverage. I'd spent the previous two years on the Entrepreneurs team, following six years writing for the Leadership channel. My mission with education is to explore the intersection of education a...

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