Click here to discover the top universities for medicine and life sciences in 2017.

Interested in medicine or another life science such as biology, zoology or genetics? Then take a look at the 2014 results of the QS World University Rankings by Faculty to discover the world’s best universities for medicine and life sciences. These rankings use data on research citations, along with the opinions of academics and employers around the world, to create a list of the 400 best universities for medicine and life sciences each year (see the full 2014 list here).

Featured below are the top 10 universities for medicine and life sciences, in video and list format.

Top 10 universities for medicine & life sciences 2014

1. Harvard University

Last year’s rank (in the medicine and life sciences faculty rankings): 1^st

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

School: Private research (Ivy League)

Fact: An Ivy League institution, Harvard University is one of just six US institutions to offer need-blind admission to both domestic and international students. Not only does Harvard top the rankings of the best universities for medicine and life science, it is also top in social sciences and management.

2. University of Oxford

Last year’s rank: 2^nd

Location: Oxford, UK

Type: Collegiate research

Fact: Dating as far back as 1096, the University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-longest surviving university in the world.

3. University of Cambridge

Last year’s rank: 3^rd

Location: Cambridge, UK

Type: Public research (with private colleges)

Fact: The founder of Harvard University in the US, John Harvard, was a graduate of the University of Cambridge.

4. Johns Hopkins University

Last year’s rank: 4^th

Location: Baltimore, Maryland, US

Type: Private research

Fact: Johns Hopkins University was the first research university to be sited in the western hemisphere. It has campuses in Maryland and Washington DC, as well as international centers in China, Singapore and Italy.

5. University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Last year’s rank: 7^th

Location: San Francisco, California, US

Type: Public research

Fact: The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a health sciences research center and the only university in the University of California system to focus solely on graduate education.

6. Stanford University

Last year’s rank: 5^th

Location: Stanford, California, US

Type: Private research

Fact: Located in northern Silicon Valley, Stanford University boasts a long legacy of entrepreneurship and innovation.

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Last year’s rank: 6^th

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Type: Private research, land grant

Fact: Founded in 1861, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has held a close relationship with industry since its beginning, helping to develop world-class laboratory instruction and give students strong applied skills in scientific fields.

8. Karolinska Institute

Last year’s rank: 10^th

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Type: Public research

Fact: The first university in this list outside of the UK or US, the Karolinska Institute is Sweden’s third oldest medical school and conducts 40% of all academic medical research in the nation.

9. Imperial College London

Last year’s rank: 14=

Location: London, UK

Type: Public research

Fact: Imperial College London, having merged with a number of medical schools, institutes and business schools over the years, now offers campuses and research facilities throughout central London.

10=. UCL (University College London)

Last year’s rank: 16^th

Location: London, UK

Type: Public research

Fact: UCL (University College London) was the first university to be established in London, and the first in England to hold entirely secular values. To see how UCL and Imperial compare overall, check out this article.

10=. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Last year’s rank: 8^th

Location: Los Angeles, California, US

Type: Public research

Fact: Another of the University of California system’s flagship universities, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a multidisciplinary institution, boasting the largest student enrollment in the state.

About the QS World University Rankings by Faculty

The QS World University Rankings by Faculty aims to highlight the world’s leading universities within five major subject areas. As well as highlighting the world’s best universities for medicine and life sciences, the rankings also cover arts & humanities, engineering & technology, natural sciences, and social sciences & management. These rankings are compiled using data on research citations, as well as data collected from the results of QS’s global surveys of academics and employers.

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Today sees the launch of the new edition of the QS Top 50 Under 50, a ranking of the world’s top universities under 50 years old, based on the QS World University Rankings® 2014/15. There’s hot competition at the top this year, between two of Asia’s most ambitious and successful young institutions: Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Hong Kong’s Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

Having narrowly overtaken HKUST in the overall QS World University Rankings this year, NTU now heads the Top 50 Under 50 for the first time, with HKUST slipping into second position. However, Hong Kong continues to boast an impressive selection of the world’s most prominent young institutions; the city boasts a further three entries among the 50 top universities under 50 years old: City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).

Strong showing for young Australian universities

The single largest contingent of youthful top universities comes from Australia, which occupies an entire fifth of the top 50 spots. Its highest ranked young institutions are the University of Newcastle, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and the University of Wollongong. Next comes Spain, with five universities featured, followed by Hong Kong and the UK with four apiece, and Germany with three. A total of 25 countries claim at least one representative.

The top 10 (listed below) includes three universities in Hong Kong, two in South Korea, and one each in Singapore, the Netherlands, the US, Canada and Spain.

The QS Top 50 Under 50 is compiled based on the annual QS World University Rankings, which assesses universities worldwide using six performance indicators. The aim is to highlight young institutions which have rapidly made a mark on the world stage, establishing strong global reputations and research clout within a relatively short space of time.

+An institution of higher education, although typically not one with university status, existed at the site where this university now stands; the university can "trace its roots" back further than 50 years but cannot claim to have been a university prior to that period.

Those who spend time studying abroad enjoy enhanced graduate employment prospects and gain important transversal skills that are particularly highly valued by employers, according to the European Commission’s new Eramus Impact Study, compiled by independent experts.

Published this week and featuring feedback from almost 80,000 respondents, including students, employers and higher education institutions across the 34 European countries involved in the Erasmus student exchange program, the Erasmus Impact Study is the largest study of its kind. It looks at the internationalization of higher education and the relationships between international student mobility, graduate employment and skills development.

Importance of employability for today’s university students

When it comes to decisions about whether and where to study abroad, leading motivations remain the desire to live in a foreign country and meet new people, improve proficiency in a foreign language and develop global skills. But the study also found that some 85% of the students surveyed were also motivated by the hope that studying abroad would enhance their graduate employment prospects.

The study suggests this hope is reasonably well founded, as it also reports that Erasmus students end up with superior employability skills compared to 70% of all students after having studied abroad. Even before travelling, Erasmus students were found to ‘have a better predisposition for employability’ than other students. The study found that on returning from studying abroad, Erasmus students had increased their graduate employment advantage by an average of 42%.

Image source: European Commission

92% of employers value transversal skills

Data gathered from employers suggests that 92% are looking for “transversal skills” when hiring graduates, alongside other key requirements such as field knowledge and relevant work experience. According to the study, transversal skills refer to qualities such as being open to and curious about new challenges; confidence; the ability to problem solve and make decisions; and tolerance towards the values and behaviors of others. According to the report, based on tests conducted before and after study abroad periods, Erasmus students were found to show higher values of these personality traits and were consequently found to be half as likely to face long-term unemployment as graduates who hadn’t studied or trained abroad, boasting an unemployment rate 23% lower than the European average, five years after graduation.

Image source: European Commission

Erasmus students more internationally minded

Not only were Erasmus students found to more employable, they were also found to be in a better position for graduate employment on completion of their time abroad. Over one third of Erasmus trainees who completed a work placement abroad had been offered a position with their host company, and one in ten had been involved in launching their own companies, with three out of four envisioning doing so in the future.

With this international and entrepreneurial mind-set, Erasmus students were also found to have a tendency towards further international travel, with 40% of Erasmus alumni shown to have moved to another country after graduation, compared to just 23% of home students. This international experience also seems to impress employers, with 64% saying that they gave greater professional responsibility to candidates with an international background.

In their personal lives, Erasmus students were also found to be more internationally minded, with 33% of Erasmus alumni said to have a life partner of a different nationality to their own, compared to just 13% of non-mobile students. From this, the European Commission calculates that since 1987, one million babies have been born to Erasmus couples.

Image source: European Commission

Why study with Erasmus+?

The Erasmus Impact Study not only does well to highlight the success of the Erasmus program, it also works to market the newly reformed version of the program. As of last year, what was originally called Erasmus Mundus is now known as Erasmus+, and the program continues to help students across Europe to gain international experience. Between now and 2020, Erasmus+ aims to offer EU grants to four million people, including students, trainees, teachers and volunteers.

“The findings of the Erasmus Impact Study are extremely significant, given the context of unacceptably high levels of youth unemployment in the EU,” Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said in a press release. “The message is clear: if you study or train abroad, you are more likely to increase your job prospects.”

Click here to view the latest version of this article, based on the QS World University Rankings® 2019.

This year’s QS World University Rankings® features a total of 26 Canadian universities ranked within the top 800 universities worldwide. Of this number, five stand within the top 100 worldwide, and a further 10 are placed within the top 300.

Compared to last year’s rankings, more than half of the top universities in Canada have improved their position, in some cases climbing as many as 30 ranks. This reflects the country’s continued dedication to developing its higher education system, and Canadian universities’ stable position in an increasingly competitive global market.

With so much choice and so many enticing Canadian cities, the choice of where to study in Canada is a tough one… To help you decide, here’s a list of all the top universities in Canada that feature in the QS World University Rankings 2014/15, divided by province, in order to help you get a feel for the higher education landscape across the country. For more information on undertaking study in Canada, visit our country guide.

Top universities in Ontario

Located to the east of the country and sharing borders with New York and Michigan among other US states, Ontario is the most populous of all Canadian provinces, home to 40% of Canada’s entire population and 11 of the country’s top universities. Often considered the cultural hub of the nation, Ontario is home to two internationally famed urban centers: Ottawa (the Canadian capital), and Toronto.

Once largely known only as a center for politics, Ottawa has in recent years become a popular city for young, culturally sophisticated urbanites and students keen to explore the multitude of venues and international cuisines the city has to offer. It’s home to two universities which feature in the latest QS World University Rankings. Toronto, on the other hand, has a long legacy of being a thriving cultural city, with a busy financial district, internationally diverse community and a total of four of the top universities in Canada.

The top universities in Ontario this year are:

Top universities in Quebec

Even further east and extending right up into the northernmost part of eastern Canada is the province of Quebec, Canada’s largest province with the second-largest population. French is the official language of Quebec, a legacy of European settlers in the 17^th century and a factor which has played a major role in shaping the cultural landscape of the region. The city of Montréal, offering four of the top universities in Canada, displays Quebec’s cultural vibrancy in full force, with its brimming arts scene, eclectic cuisines and Parisian-inspired approach to life. Quebec City, the capital of the province, is also popular among visitors for its picturesque historic district, and is home to another of Canada’s top universities.

The top universities in Quebec this year are:

Top universities in British Columbia

British Columbia, another of Canada’s vast, geographically stunning provinces, is on the west coast of the nation, distanced from eastern Canada by over 3,500km. Popular amongst snow sports fans, British Columbia is one of Canada’s most mountainous regions, home to the largest ski resort in North America. The province capital, Victoria, and its largest city, Vancouver, each claim one top Canadian university, and both combine urban culture and attractions with magnificent surrounding natural landscapes.

The top universities in British Columbia this year are:

Top universities in Alberta

Heading back east again from British Columbia is the Canadian province of Alberta, a region no less mountainous and the nation’s most populous ‘prairie province’. Two top Canadian universities are situated here: one in the capital city of Edmonton and one in Calgary, the region’s largest city. Nicknamed ‘the festival city’, Edmonton is known for its jam-packed cultural calendar as well as being home to the biggest mall in North America. Calgary, rich with oil money and cowboy history, has made a name for itself as a clean, pleasant and environmentally friendly place to live.

The top universities in Alberta this year are:

Other top universities in Canada

In a country so huge, it’s easy to overlook certain regions, but that’s not to say there aren’t top Canadian universities outside of the most touristy provinces. Aside from those listed above, four more Canadian provinces claim at least one university in this year’s international rankings. These are Nova Scotia, an eastern peninsular comprised of 3,800 coastal islands; Saskatchewan, a central province bordered by Alberta in the west; Manitoba, another central province home to thousands of lakes and rivers; and Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s easternmost province with a Celtic cultural influence.

The top universities in these regions this year are:

To view the faculty rankings for social sciences and management 2015/16, please click here.

Looking to study economics, political science, international relations, law or another subject in the field of social sciences and management at one of the top universities in the world? Check out the latest results of the QS World University Rankings by Faculty to discover the top universities in the world for social sciences and management this year. These rankings draw data on research citations, along with the opinions of academics and employers worldwide, in order to highlight the world’s leading institutions in each faculty area.

Below are 2014’s 10 top universities in the world for social sciences and management, in video and list format…

Top 10 universities for social sciences & management 2014

1. Harvard University

Last year’s rank: 1^st

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Type: Private research (Ivy League)

Fact: Harvard University, the top university in the world for social science and management, has more than its fair share of notable alumni, including the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, and John F Kennedy, former president of the US.

2. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Last year’s rank: 2^nd

Location: London, UK

Type: Public research

Fact: Informally known as LSE, the London School of Economics and Political Science is the UK’s leading university specializing in the social sciences, and is lauded for the impressive number of Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and staff, particularly in the economics field.

3. University of Oxford

Last year’s rank: 3^rd

Location: Oxford, UK

Type: Collegiate research

Fact: Oxford University is comprised of a total of 39 individual colleges and related buildings and is the oldest English-speaking university in the world.

4. University of Cambridge

Last year’s rank: 4^th

Location: Cambridge, UK

Type: Public research (with private colleges)

Fact: Among the University of Cambridge’s most famous colleges are King’s College, Trinity Hall, Trinity College, Darwin College, Corpus Christi College and Downing College.

5. Stanford University

Last year’s rank: 5^th

Location: Stanford, California, US

Type: Private research

Fact: Undergraduate programs at Stanford University are the most selective in the country, with only 5.07% of applicants gaining acceptance for the 2018 class.

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Last year’s rank: 7=

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

School: Private research, land grant

Fact: You may know it boasts alumni such as the likes of astronaut Buzz Aldrin and aviation pioneer James Doolittle, but did you also know the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers a “pirate certificate” to students who complete classes in archery, sailing, pistol and fencing?

7. University of Chicago

Last year’s rank: 11^th

Location: Chicago, Illinois, US

Type: Private research

Fact: The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the world, established in 1898, eight years after the founding of the university itself.

8. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Last year’s rank: 9=

Location: Berkeley, California, US

Type: Public research

Fact: Students at the University of California, Berkeley were awarded more Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation than students of any other US university in the past decade.

9. National University of Singapore (NUS)

Last year’s rank: 9=

Location: Southwest Singapore

Type: Public research

Fact: The National University of Singapore (NUS) is the oldest and largest (in terms of enrollment and curriculum) university in Singapore and its notable alumni include four Singaporean and two Malaysian Prime Ministers.

10=. London Business School

Last year’s rank: 12^th

Location: London, UK

Type: Public business school

Fact: A constituent college of the University of London system, London Business School is the only school in Europe (and one of three in the world) to offer a Sloan Fellowship MSc program.

10=. Yale University

Last year’s rank: 7=

Location: New Haven, Connecticut, US

Type: Private research (Ivy League)

Fact: Over 2,000 undergraduate courses are taught at Yale University, and notable alumni include as many as five US presidents, 19 US Supreme Court Justices and 13 living billionaires.

About the QS World University Rankings by Faculty

The QS World University Rankings by Faculty aims to highlight the top universities in the world within five major subject areas. These five fields cover arts & humanities, engineering & technology, life sciences & medicine, natural sciences, and social sciences & management. The rankings are compiled using data on research citations, as well as the results of QS’s global surveys of academics and employers.