U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today published the 2022 edition of the Best Global Universities rankings. The new edition evaluates more than 1,700 schools in the overall ranking – up from nearly 1,500 last year – on academic research and reputation.
The U.S. leads the overall ranking, with schools in the top four spots. No. 1 is Harvard University, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of California–Berkeley at No. 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Rounding out the top five is the University of Oxford in the U.K.
The 2022 edition includes universities from more than 90 countries. The most ranked schools are in the following countries:
- U.S.: 271
- China: 253
- Japan: 93
- U.K.: 89
- Germany: 70
“These rankings stand out from our other education rankings due to their emphasis on academic research,” said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. “The Best Global Universities feature an overall ranking of more than 1,700 universities, as well as subject rankings of additional 255 universities, for a total of 2,005 schools, providing even more information for prospective students interested in schools where research is a top priority.”
Five new subjects were added to the rankings, bringing the total to 43. The new subjects are chemistry, physical; food science and technology; optics; physics, condensed matter; and polymer science.
Based on Web of Science™ data and InCites™ metrics provided by Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, the Best Global Universities methodology weighs factors that measure a university’s global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall rankings, this includes bibliometric indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration. Each subject ranking has its own methodology based on academic research performance in that specific area.
“As students, faculty and staff continue to navigate the pandemic, comparable school-specific data remains important to individuals exploring their higher education options,” said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. “For eight years and counting, the Best Global Universities rankings have provided easily accessible data that prospective students can use to evaluate those options.”
1. Harvard University (U.S.)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.)
3. Stanford University (U.S.)
4. University of California–Berkeley (U.S.)
5. University of Oxford (U.K.)
6. Columbia University (U.S.)
7. University of Washington–Seattle (U.S.)
8. University of Cambridge (U.K.)
9. California Institute of Technology (U.S.) (tie)
9. Johns Hopkins University (U.S.) (tie)
99. University of Arizona
165. Arizona State University
1. University of Cape Town (South Africa)
2. University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
3. Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
1. Tsinghua University (China)
2. National University of Singapore
3. Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
1. University of Melbourne (Australia)
2. University of Sydney
3. University of Queensland (Australia)
1. University of Oxford (U.K.)
2. University of Cambridge (U.K.)
3. University College London
1. Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil)
3. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
The Best Global Universities rankings serve the broader U.S. News mission of providing trusted information and rankings – such as Best K-8 Schools, Best Colleges and Best Online Programs – to help all students navigate their higher education options. For Chinese students in particular, U.S. News offers online resource centers published in Chinese to help guide prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in studying abroad.
