Which young universities have succeeded in rapidly climbing the international university rankings? Watch our video to explore this year’s top 10 universities under 50 years old – and get the full list here.

Video by Kai Song for TopUniversities.com

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-2017, released today, sees the University of Oxford take the number one spot – pushing out California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which had led the list for the previous five years.

This is the latest installation in a cluster of rankings launched in recent weeks – following the Shanghai Ranking, QS World University Rankings®, and US News. Among the growing number of international rankings, QS and THE are perhaps closest, in their approach to assessing universities and presentation of results. Yet even these two rankings diverge significantly, due to differences in the indicators used, and the weightings applied when calculating overall scores.

So, how do the latest editions of the QS and Times Higher Education rankings compare?

At a glance:

-          Massachusetts Institute of Technology remains top in QS (for fifth consecutive year).

-          University of Oxford leads THE, pushing former table-topper Caltech into second.

-          High level of correlation between the two lists – 0.80 overall, and 0.71 in the top 100.

-          Both see generally downwards movement for UK and other European countries this year.

-          Asian universities rising in both, but still better-represented in QS.

-          QS results generally more stable year on year.

While there is a large degree of correlation between the two lists, there are also significant differences, both in terms of the positions accorded, and universities that are included or omitted. Notable examples include the University of Buenos Aires, Trinity College Dublin, University of Malaya, Sciences Po, Kazakh National University, Beijing Normal University and Grenoble Alpes University, which all appear in the QS ranking but not THE. In some cases, such as Trinity College Dublin, this appears to be due to a data submission error, with the institution likely to be reinstated next year.

Overall, the QS results are more stable year on year. The average change in position within the top 100 is 4.2 in QS, compared to 7.6 in this year’s THE. For the top 200, QS’s average shift is 6.6 places, and THE’s 12.6.

In addition to Oxford’s triumph over Caltech, the Times Higher Education top 10 also sees the addition of the University of California, Berkeley, which climbs from 13^th to =10^th. Meanwhile this year’s QS ranking saw Stanford climb from =3^rd to 2^nd, switching places with Harvard, while Cambridge fell from =3^rd to 4^th. Imperial College London and ETH Zurich also exchanged positions.

While the two sets of top-10 institutions overlap to a large extent, there are several divergences. UCL is absent from THE’s top 10 (now 15^th, down one from last year). And while Princeton is only one place outside the QS top 10, Berkeley presents an example of a greater disparity between the two rankings, not appearing until 28^th.

Despite Oxford’s success in becoming the first UK institution to lead the Times Higher Education ranking, overall both QS and THE have seen downwards movement for UK universities this year. There are now only 12 UK representatives in THE’s top 100, down from 16 last year, and UK institutions are down by an average of nine places. Although there are still 18 UK entries in the QS top 100, most either lost ground or stayed static this year.

Germany remains the third most-represented country at the top level of the Times Higher Education ranking, followed by the Netherlands, and in general the methodology applied by THE tends to produce stronger results for continental European institutions. Switzerland has been a notable exception to this trend, though this year improves its representation in THE’s list; ETH Zurich and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne are now joined in the top 100 by the University of Basel, with the University of Zurich hovering just six places outside.

Canada loses one of its top-100 entries in the new Times Higher Education ranking, with McMaster University falling from =94^th to =113^th. However, it comes close to being replaced by the University of Montréal, which has climbed 10 places to 103^rd, closely followed by the University of Alberta, which leaps 30 positions to rank 107^th.

While the QS ranking has so far featured leading Asian universities more prominently than Times Higher Education, this year sees the latter go some way towards catching up in its representation of the region. China’s two leading entries – Peking University and Tsinghua University – have climbed from 42^nd to 29^th and from =47^th to 35^th respectively, and the top nine Chinese universities have all improved their rankings.

Hong Kong now has three top-100 universities in the Times Higher Education ranking – one more than last year – with the Chinese University of Hong Kong climbing 62 places to 76^th, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 10 places to 49^th, and the University of Hong Kong one place to =43^rd.

Meanwhile South Korea has doubled its presence in the Times Higher Education top 100 compared to last year, with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) making a dramatic leap of 59 positions to rank =89^th, joining Seoul National University (=72^nd, up 13 places). Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) is not far behind, climbing 12 positions to =104^th.

However, Asian institutions remain more prominent in the QS ranking. China, for instance, has seven institutions in the QS top 200, compared to four in THE. Meanwhile, Asia’s leading representative in both rankings – the National University of Singapore (NUS) – has climbed two places to 24^th in the Times Higher Education ranking, its highest ever position. Yet, in keeping with the wider regional general trend, it has already reached 12^th in the QS ranking, and remains stable there this year.

Though the Times Higher Education list now covers more universities – 978, compared to QS's 916 – the QS ranking remains more diverse. There are 57 countries featured in the QS top 500, compared to 43 in the same range of the THE list, and 45 in the latest Shanghai Ranking.

Got a question about the differences between the QS and Times Higher Education rankings, or an opinion to share about their approaches to assessing universities? Have your say in the comments below.

This year’s QS Top 50 Under 50, published today, is headed by Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for the third consecutive year. NTU is immediately followed by five more young Asian universities – an unbroken sequence which testifies to the region’s success in developing world-leading institutions at high speed.

First developed in 2012, this annual list celebrates the world’s highest-performing universities under 50 years old, based on the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings®. It spotlights dynamic young institutions making rapid progress in the international league tables – and challenging those which have spent centuries cementing their positions at the top.

As well as providing a showcase for Asia’s fast-rising young universities, the list is also notable for a high concentration of institutions with a focus on science and technology. This is apparent within the top 10, and also further down the list. Australia’s RMIT University and Queensland University of Technology are both in the top 20, while Finland’s Tampere University of Technology climbs 18 places this year to place 30^th, and South Korea’s Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology debuts in 35^th.

Beyond the top 10, young Asian universities continue to feature prominently throughout the list. Malaysia and Hong Kong have four representatives each, while South Korea and Taiwan each make three appearances.

The most-featured country, however, is Australia, which claims 10 of the top-50 positions. Europe collectively accounts for 18 entries, including five Spanish universities, and two each for the UK and Finland. There are also representatives from Japan, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Israel, Kazakhstan, Qatar and the US – showing a truly global spread of successful young institutions, in both established and emerging education hubs.

Alongside the Top 50 Under 50, the Next 50 Under 50 highlights the next set of ‘ones to watch’, ranked in groups of 10. New entrants this year include Singapore Management University (in the 51-60 band), Australia’s Central Queensland University (81-90), and Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi Petronas (91-100).

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The full results of both the Top 50 and Next 50 Under 50 are published online, and can be sorted to show each institution’s year of establishment and position in the latest QS World University Rankings. Additional information and direct comparisons of featured universities are available using the new comparison tool on the table; to access this function, simply register for free site membership.

There are multiple world university rankings available – with the best-known being the QS World University Rankings®, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) – and each one uses a different methodology. This can sometimes be confusing, as it’s not always easy to see why a university is ranked differently, or why the order within a country changes depending on which table you view.

To clarify how these different outcomes are reached, below is an overview of the methodologies used for these three major world university rankings…

QS World University Rankings®

The QS World University Rankings assesses universities on six performance indicators, relating to research, teaching, employability and internationalization. To be eligible for inclusion, institutions must teach at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and conduct work in at least two of five broad faculty areas (arts and humanities; engineering and technology; social sciences and management; natural sciences; life sciences and medicine).

• Academic reputation (worth 40% of the overall score)
  Based on a global survey of academics, who are asked to identify the leading institutions in their field.
• Employer reputation (10%)
  Based on a global survey of graduate employers, who are asked to identify the institutions producing the best graduates in their sector.
• Student-to-faculty ratio (20%)
  An indication of commitment to high-quality teaching and support.
• Research citations per faculty member (20%)
  This is normalized by subject area, and reflects the impact of an institution’s research.
• Proportion of international faculty (5%)
  A measure of an institution’s success in attracting faculty from overseas.
• Proportion of international students (5%)
  A measure of an institution’s success in attracting students from overseas.

The interactive results table can be filtered to show the scores for each of these six indicators, showing where each institution’s comparative strengths and weaknesses lie. You can find out more about the QS World University Rankings methodology here.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings uses 13 performance indicators, grouped into five categories. Institutions are excluded if they do not teach at undergraduate level, or if their research output is below a certain threshold.

• Teaching (worth 30% of the overall score)
  Based on a reputation survey (15%), staff-to-student ratio (4.5%), doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio (2.25%), doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio (6%) and institutional income (2.25%).
• Research (30%)
  Based on a reputation survey (18%), research income (6%) and research papers published per faculty member (6%).
• Research citations (30%)
  Based on the number of citations a university’s research obtains, normalized by subject area.
• International outlook (7.5%)
  Based on international-to-domestic-student ratio (2.5%), international-to-domestic-staff ratio (2.5%) and international research collaborations (2.5%).
• Industry income (2.5%)
  Based on income earned from industry, relative to the number of academic staff employed, and adjusted for PPP.

The published results can be sorted to show universities’ scores for each of the five categories, but not for the individual indicators within each category.

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)

Also widely known as the Shanghai Ranking, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) assesses six performance indicators, all relating to research excellence. The ranking considers all institutions with Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature or Science, or a significant number of papers indexed by the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) or Social Science Citation Index (SSCI).

• Alumni (worth 10% of the overall score)
  Based on the number of alumni of an institution who have won Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, with greater weight given to more recent recipients.
• Awards (20%)
  Based on the number of staff affiliated with an institution who have won Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine and economics, and Fields Medals in mathematics, with greater weight given to more recent recipients.
• Highly cited researchers (20%)
  Based on an institution’s number of highly cited researchers, according to the latest list published by Thomson Reuters.
• Papers in Nature and Science (20%)
  Based on the number of papers published in these two influential journals, drawing on a four-year period. For institutions specialized in social sciences and humanities, this category does not apply.
• Papers indexed (20%)
  Based on the number of papers indexed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded and Social Science Citation Index in the preceding calendar year, with a double weighting for papers indexed in the Social Science Citation Index.
• Per capita performance (10%)
  The weighted scores of the other indicators, divided by the number of full-time equivalent academic staff.

The published ARWU results can be sorted to show performance in each of these six indicators.

Got more questions about any of these world university rankings? Take a look at our frequently asked questions, or ask your own in the comments below.

This article was updated in June 2017.

First published in 2012, the QS Top 50 Under 50 celebrates the world’s leading young universities. It is published annually, based on the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings®, and since 2015 has tripled its range to include the Next 100 Under 50. 

The US has a strong presence within the QS World University Rankings® 2016-2017 – occupying 154 out of 916 possible places. Here’s a look at the top 10 US universities, and the distinctive buildings each is known for…

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Ranked 1^st in the world, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is located in the university town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on a 168-acre campus. If you’re attracted to the idea of studying with the backdrop of a grand classical building, MIT has you covered with Building 10 (pictured above), complete with the iconic Great Dome. Classical isn’t the only architectural style featured at MIT; other notable buildings include the post-war style Kresge Auditorium, the unique Ray and Maria Stata Center and the undergraduate accommodation of Simmons Hall – nicknamed ‘The Sponge’ for its shape. You won’t be surprised to hear that MIT’s School of Architecture was the first of its kind in the US!

2. Stanford University

Stanford University is ranked 2^nd in the world and is located at the heart of California’s Silicon Valley on a large 8,180-acre campus located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north from San Jose. To the west lie the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, providing stunning views of the Bay Area. The campus itself is home to a picturesque quad, which is the central and oldest part of the university grounds. Other landmarks include the Hoover Tower, the highest building on campus, which attracts about 200 visitors a day, and the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, home to a large collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures.

3. Harvard University

Heading back to Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University is ranked 3^rd in the world in the 2016-2017 rankings. The 209-acre main campus is centered on Harvard’s Yard, which extends to the surrounding Harvard Square neighborhood. Although the university is most associated with a traditional red-brick style of buildings, it actually has a more architectural diversity than you might think. For instance, the white granite University Hall, designed by renowned architect and Harvard graduate Charles Bulfinch in 1813, was selected as a National Historic Landmark in 1970 for its architectural significance. The oldest university in the US, Harvard’s oldest surviving building, Massachusetts Hall, dates back to 1718.

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Ranked 5^th in the world, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is the smallest of the 10 top universities in the US, located on a 124-acre campus in the city of Pasadena, California, around 11 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Pictured above is the Millikan Library, the highest building on campus at nine stories, which is named after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Robert Andrews Millikan. As an institute of technology, the campus includes a large number of laboratories and other scientific and technological facilities. Fans of the TV show The Big Bang Theory may know Caltech as the main characters’ university workplace; however the show is not actually filmed on campus.

5. University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is ranked 10^th in the world this year and is of course located in the city of Chicago, Illinois, which is ranked among the world’s best student cities. Located in the Hyde Park area of the city, not far from Lake Michigan, the university’s 15,700 students enjoy a 217-acre campus rich in traditional Collegiate Gothic architecture such as the Rockefeller Chapel, which mimics the likes of the UK’s Oxford and Cambridge. The Gothic style gave way to more contemporary designs after the 1940s, with many prominent architects creating award-winning structures. One example is the recently built Center for Care and Discovery, the tallest building on campus, which houses the latest technology for medical diagnosis and treatment.

6. Princeton University

Princeton University places 11^th in the world this year, and is located in Princeton, New Jersey on a roughly 500-acre campus. It’s another of the oldest US universities, dating back to 1746. The university’s oldest building, Nassau Hall (pictured) was completed in 1756 and now houses Princeton’s administrative buildings, including the president’s office. Continuing the Collegiate Gothic style that it’s known for, the Princeton University Chapel is one of the largest university chapels in the world, able to seat almost 2,000 people. On the southern side, the university also has its own man-made lake; Lake Carnegie (named after Andrew Carnegie, who donated money for its construction), used by the university’s rowing team as well as members of the public.

7. Yale University

Ranked 15^th in the world, Yale University is based in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, around 90 minutes’ drive from New York City. Yale continues the theme of Collegiate Gothic buildings, giving the campus a distinct medieval feel. This includes the Sterling Law Building, erected in 1931, which houses Yale Law School and was modeled after the English Inns of Court. Pictured above is the Old Campus, which includes buildings associated with the famous Vanderbilt family, including Vanderbilt Hall and Phelps Hall. The university’s oldest building, Connecticut Hall (completed in 1752) is the only surviving colonial-era hall on campus, with a Georgian style that is very similar to Harvard’s Massachusetts Hall.

8. Cornell University

Located on a hill overlooking the small city of Ithaca and the picturesque Lake Cayuga in the state of New York, Cornell University is placed 16^th in the world this year. It’s one of the greenest US universities, made up of a large 2,300 acre campus, complete with easy access to local gorges that are ideal for hiking or swimming. The university also owns a 2,800-acre botanical garden, Cornell Plantations, and has taken part in a number of green initiatives to improve sustainability. The campus buildings themselves have an irregular layout and a mix of architectural styles, including elaborate Collegiate Gothic, Victorian, and Neoclassical buildings, as well as less common transnational and modernist structures.

9. Johns Hopkins University

Ranked 17^th in the world, Johns Hopkins University was established 1876 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is considered to be the US’s first research university. It’s organized into 10 divisions on campuses in Baltimore and Washington D.C, with international campuses in Italy, China and Singapore. Most undergraduates study at Homewood (pictured), the 140-acre north Baltimore campus, which houses Homewood Museum, one of the finest existing examples of US Federal architecture, serving as inspiration for other campus buildings. Over on the East Baltimore campus you’ll find the illustrious School of Medicine, with the Johns Hopkins Teaching Hospital widely considered one of the best hospitals in the world. The hospital complex, built in 1889, is listed in the US’s National Register of Historic Places.

10. University of Pennsylvania

Last but not least is the University of Pennsylvania, also known as Penn, ranked 18^th in the world this year and based in Philadelphia. It’s another historic US university, founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, and again offers a range of attractive backdrops of Oxbridge-inspired Collegiate Gothic buildings, including the oldest building, College Hall, which is made of a distinctive green serpentine stone. Penn’s campus also boasts extensive college greens and recreational spaces, with the nearly 300-acre main campus joined in the past decade by five million square feet of new and renovated space, including the $46.5 million 24-acre Penn Park, an expanse of playing fields and open spaces for recreational activities.

This year’s edition of the QS Top 50 Under 50 will be published at 21:00 GMT on 20 September, here on TopUniversities.com. Continuing last year’s extension, it will once again accompanied by the Next 50 Under 50 – spotlighting even more of the world’s leading young universities.

First published in 2012, the QS Top 50 Under 50 celebrates universities which have established a strong position in the international ranking tables, in an impressively short space of time. Accumulating the levels of reputation and research impact to secure a place in the world rankings is no easy feat; institutions achieving this merit both applause and analysis.

What’s likely to change?

The Top 50 Under 50 and Next 50 Under 50 are based on the highest-ranked universities under 50 years old in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings®. Each year, a number of institutions drop out of the list simply because they have passed the 50-year marker, making space for new entries. Of institutions evaluated for the latest QS World University Rankings, a total of 162 now fall within the age limit for the Top 50 Under 50 and Next 50 Under 50.

Of course, change also occurs when institutions significantly climb or fall in the QS World University Rankings. This year’s edition saw continued upwards momentum for countries including China, South Korea and the US, while institutions elsewhere in the world – including across much of Europe – lost ground. These changes are likely to be reflected in the Top 50 and Next 50 lists.

Why does it matter?

The institutions featured in the Top 50 and Next 50 Under 50 prove that it is possible to reach the top levels of the international rankings without centuries of accumulated reputation. As well as providing case studies of the fast-track path to success, the list also offers insights into the wider global picture – reflecting, to some degree, the wider dynamism of national higher education systems.

This is most evident in the large number of young Asian universities featured in the Top 50 Under 50, reflecting the rapid rise of institutions in countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. But in fact the list is perhaps surprisingly diverse, featuring young universities in many of the world’s oldest hubs for higher education, as well as relative newcomers to the international tables. Last year’s Top 50 Under 50 spanned 23 countries, with an additional 19 nations represented in the Next 50 Under 50.

Following the recent addition of a new comparison tool, users will now also be able to access instant comparisons of featured institutions, including information such as rankings history, average tuition fees, and demographics on campus.

To get the results first, sign up for free email alerts, follow us on Twitter, or download the free rankings app (for iPhone and Android).