The British company QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released the seventeenth edition of the QS World University Rankings, the world's most popular source of comparative information on the quality of education at popular universities around the world.
The following criteria are used to compile the rating:
- How high is the academic reputation of a particular university?
- What is the university's reputation among employers?
- Is the citation index high (here scientific publications are taken into account).
- Ratio of learners to teachers.
- Are there many students from other countries at the university?
- Number of international staff.
We will tell you about the top ten winners, as well as which Russian university became the best in the top universities of 2020.
10. University College London
Since its foundation (11 February 1826) and the first in England, University College London began to accept people regardless of their social status and religious views, which distinguished it from its main competitors - Cambridge and Oxford. Today, 18 thousand students from Great Britain and 150 countries of the world study at UCL.
The university offers over 675 programs for postgraduate students, researchers, and teachers. Its graduates and professors have won 29 Nobel Prizes, more than half of which were for discoveries in the field of medicine.
Interesting fact: In the main building of UCL, the mummy of the spiritual, if not practical, founder of the university, Jeremy Bentham, is kept in a glass case. The philosopher himself bequeathed his body to the temple of learning and left instructions regarding its preservation. On ceremonial occasions, he even attends meetings of the Academic Council, in which case the minutes read: "Mr Bentham was present but did not vote."
9. University of Chicago
One of the best overseas universities in 2020, it has a stellar reputation for its professional schools, including the Pritzker School of Medicine, Booth School of Business, and Harris School of Public Policy Studies.
Today, the University of Chicago has about 16,000 students, a quarter of whom are international.
Interesting fact: On campus is a sculpture by Henry Miller called Nuclear Energy. It was created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction. This work eventually led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
8. Imperial College London
The four pillars of the university are science, business, medicine and engineering. Education is closely linked to research, which confronts students with real-world problems with no easy answers.
And the focus on the practical application of research – especially in solving global problems – and the high level of interdisciplinary cooperation makes education at ICL exceptionally effective.
Interesting fact: The Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London has the world's largest collection of human brains – 296 organs. They serve as material for studying Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. All were donated voluntarily.
7. University of Cambridge
A huge library containing over 15 million books, a commitment to extra-curricular activities and sporting competitions (there are 80 sports played here) have ensured Cambridge's reputation not only as a temple of learning, but also as a place for the all-round development of the individual.
The university received 100-point marks in almost all criteria except the citation index (69.2 points) and the number of foreign students (97.4).
Interesting fact: Cambridge University is not a single monolithic building, so locals are no longer surprised by visitors' questions about where the university is. This university consists of 31 autonomous colleges, which are distributed throughout the city.
6. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
The successful combination of a cosmopolitan outlook and national roots made this educational institution one of the driving forces of industrialization in Switzerland: it brought the necessary knowledge to the country, trained technical specialists and helped create a revolutionary national infrastructure.
The modern ETHZ comprises 16 faculties that offer academic education and conduct research in subjects ranging from engineering and building sciences to chemistry and physics.
Interesting fact: One of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in Europe has produced 2 Pritzker Prize laureates, 21 Nobel laureates (including Albert Einstein) and 1 Turing Award laureate.
5. Oxford University
The oldest university in the English-speaking world (founded in 1117) is home to about 22,000 students, 40% of whom are foreigners. This is not surprising, because Oxford is a symbol of prestige and a kind of Mecca for the golden youth from all over the world.
Here you can make the necessary connections with representatives of the elite and acquire comprehensive knowledge of politics, economics, philosophy and other popular disciplines.
Great attention is paid in Oxford not only to mental but also physical development. The most prestigious sport here is rowing eights. Tennis, squash, cricket and football are also popular.
Interesting fact: According to a 1610 agreement, every book, magazine or other publication published in Britain must be accompanied by a copy sent to the Oxford Library. Thanks to this, the library is replenished with 4,000-5,000 new publications every week.
4. California Institute of Technology
The specialization of this university, as its name suggests, is exact sciences and engineering. Even the mascot is appropriately chosen – a beaver, because in the wild beavers build dams and are natural engineers.
KTI also manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is part of NASA. It is within the walls of this laboratory that many of NASA's robotic spacecraft are created.
Interesting fact: Albert Einstein was a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology for three winter terms: 1931, 1932, and 1933.
3. Harvard University
Ask people to name the best American university off the top of their head, and most will probably think of Harvard first. Located just outside of Boston, the school is the oldest university in the United States and consistently ranks among the best institutions of higher learning in the world.
The cliche that getting into Harvard University is an incredibly difficult process is actually quite true. Of all the people who apply to Harvard each year, only 6% get in. Maybe they should try buying a lottery ticket while luck is on their side!
Interesting fact: Harvard officials twice tried to ban football due to concerns that it was too violent and dangerous. However, despite these efforts, pressure from alumni and students forced the sport to be accepted. Harvard's first concrete football stadium was built in 1903.
2. Stanford University
The second best university in the world in 2020 is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and many graduates go on to work at Google, Hewlett-Packard, and other leading tech companies right after graduation. This makes it one of the best universities for employment.
Given Stanford's focus on cultivating leadership in its students, it is not surprising that its list of alumni includes two former prime ministers of Japan, former US President Herbert Hoover, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and the Crown Prince of Belgium and President of the Maldives Mohammed Waheed Hassan.
Interesting fact: Until 1930, all tuition at Stanford was free. Today, tuition is about $50,000 per year.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The best university of 2020 according to QS Quacquarelli Symonds currently has over 11 thousand undergraduate and postgraduate students (including those from Russia), and about 1000 teachers help them to gnaw the granite of science.
MIT is renowned for its excellence in scientific and technical training and research in many fields, including biology, medicine, physics, chemistry, robotics, and other sciences. Among its many laboratories and research centers are a nuclear research reactor, a computing center, geophysical and astrophysical observatories, a space research center, an artificial intelligence lab, and an international research center.
In addition, since World War II, the institute has maintained close ties with military and corporate clients that fund military research. MIT is currently the world's largest non-commercial research institution in terms of annual military research orders.
Fun fact: The famous Tony Stark from "The Avengers" was an MIT graduate, although he said that he graduated with honors, while the institution does not provide "red diplomas."
The best Russian university of 2020 is Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU)
One of the oldest and, perhaps, most prestigious higher education institutions in our country has become the best of Russia's representatives in the QS World University Rankings 2021. It has about 47 thousand students, and 4,000 foreign students are admitted annually.
MSU is in 74th place and this is the best result in the entire history of the ranking, which has been conducted since 2004. According to the compilers of the ranking, such a good result was achieved due to the increased reputation of MSU in the global academic community.
The best university in Russia received high marks from QS Quacquarelli Symonds experts in four out of six criteria.
- MSU's academic reputation received a score of 77.
- Reputation with employers: 82 points.
- Foreign students - 76 points.
- The number of students in the faculties is 99 points.
Interesting fact: The largest clock in Russia is installed on the main building of Moscow State University; its dial diameter is 9 meters, larger than the chimes on Red Square.
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