Asia rises, MIT holds Top spot as QS reveals 2026 World University Rankings
US and China gain ground, Italy and Saudi Arabia debut in top 100
#QSWUR
LONDON, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds have released the 22nd edition of the QS World University Rankings.
MIT retains the global #1 position for the 14th consecutive year. Imperial College London holds second place, while Stanford University surges to third.
Top 10 Universities (2026 / 2025)
1 / 1 MIT – US
2 / 2 Imperial College London – UK
3 / 6 Stanford University – US
4 / 3 University of Oxford – UK
5 / 4 Harvard University – US
6 / 5 University of Cambridge – UK
7 / 7 ETH Zurich – Switzerland
8 / 8 National University of Singapore – Singapore
9 / 9 UCL – UK
10 / 10 California Institute of Technology – US
This edition features 1,500+ institutions across 106 locations. The US leads with 192 ranked universities, followed by the UK (90) and Mainland China (72). India (54) and Germany (48) round out the top five.
Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, said:
"We are witnessing a rebalancing of global academic influence. The Ranking highlights a shifting center of gravity in higher education—towards Asia, which now claims the highest number of ranked universities worldwide. While traditional powerhouses maintain strong positions, the data shows clear momentum in regions investing heavily in research capacity, internationalization, and long-term strategy. The QS World University Rankings illuminate not only institutional excellence, but also the evolving contours of global knowledge production. These shifts underscore an increasingly multipolar academic world—more competitive, more connected, and more ambitious than ever."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
21 hours ago
- Korea Herald
UTM RANKED 153RD IN QSWUR 2026: INNOVATING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR A BETTER FUTURE
JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia, June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has made a significant leap in the QS World University Rankings 2026, climbing to 153rd position globally, placing it in the top 10.2% of over 1,500 evaluated institutions. UTM's improved standing in the QS World University Rankings is the result of strategic progress across several key dimensions, including a remarkable climb of 112 places in International Research Network (now ranked 3rd in Malaysia), a 45-place rise in Citations per Faculty (also 3rd in Malaysia), an 8-place improvement in Academic Reputation, a 28-place gain in Faculty-Student Ratio, and a strong showing in International Student Diversity, where UTM is ranked 132nd globally with students representing 85 nationalities. While the achievement reflects the university's academic and research strength, UTM is equally focused on a broader mission: creating a better world through sustainability, values, and the humanities. "UTM's mission is clear — to nurture global talents and to enrich lives through knowledge and innovative technologies. In this context, rankings serve as an important measurement tool to attract top talents. However, beyond rankings, we believe our UTM community is driven by values and wisdom to contribute to a better world," said Professor Dr Mohd Shafry Mohd Rahim, Vice Chancellor of UTM. This ethos is anchored in UTM's strategic tagline: Innovating Sustainable Solutions —a bold commitment to address global and local challenges by embedding sustainability, human values, and inclusive development into all aspects of the university's teaching, research, and community engagement. More Than a Ranking: A Mission for Humanity "Being recognised among the world's top universities is a proud milestone for our community," said Professor Shafry. "But our mission goes beyond rankings. It is about nurturing global talents, enriching lives, and driving sustainable change grounded in values and wisdom. At the heart of this mission is our commitment to humanising and democratising knowledge—ensuring that our innovations in engineering, science and technology serve people, communities, and the greater good." This mission has shaped UTM into a university that not only produces top-tier engineers, scientists, and innovators, but also well-rounded graduates who understand their roles as global citizens. In every research lab, classroom, and community partnership, UTM promotes integrity, empathy, cultural appreciation, and respect for future generations. UTM's focus on sustainability and humanities is not symbolic but strategic. In 2024, its Faculty of Artificial Intelligence was launched during the Malaysia Artificial Intelligence Nexus programme. The faculty was positioned as Malaysia's inaugural AI-focused faculty emphasising human-centred values and ethics. Designed to foreground values of humanity, the faculty's goal is to produce graduates who can apply AI ethically, ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in technology development. UTM also leads Malaysia's Artificial Intelligence Consortium (MAIC), bridging academia, public and private sectors to coordinate AI solutions across fields like healthcare, climate, and finance. Sustainability: The University's DNA The UTM Green Campus initiative remains one of the most impactful in the region, integrating smart energy systems, sustainable transportation, and eco-friendly infrastructure into everyday campus life. Guided by the UTM Living Labs framework, the Sustainability Blueprint, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, this initiative reflects the university's commitment to environmental responsibility and long-term climate action. UTM's research ecosystem supports this vision by addressing global challenges such as water and food security, low-carbon development, and urban resilience. The Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security and the Low Carbon Asia Research Centre collaborate with government and industry to deliver science-based, people-focused solutions. UTM is also home to three Higher Institution Centres of Excellence: the Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, known for membrane innovations in sustainable industries; the Institute of Noise and Vibration, focused on acoustical engineering; and the Wireless Communication Centre, a leader in radio frequency and wireless research. The Institute for Sustainable Transport further strengthens UTM's role in advancing green mobility and smart urban development. Building Global Bridges for Shared Futures UTM's global engagement continues to expand, with partnerships across ASEAN, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Under frameworks like Erasmus+ CBHE, Horizon Europe, and the Asia Technological University Network, UTM is co-developing initiatives on climate education, social innovation, and equitable digital futures. Through the Office of Strategy and Global Eminence, UTM is aligning its institutional goals with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in areas of clean energy, education, reduced inequalities, and responsible consumption. "Being ranked #153rd in the world is a significant recognition. But what we truly celebrate is our university's evolution into a transformative force for good," said Associate Professor Dr. Abdul Rashid Husain, Acting Associate Vice Chancellor, Office of Strategy and Global Eminence. "UTM is all about values, humanities, and sustainability. This is our DNA. This is our promise." About Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is a research-intensive public university specialising in engineering, science, and technology, with a growing international profile in sustainability, innovation, and the humanities. Established in 1904 and located in Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, UTM is dedicated to producing global talents, impactful research, and meaningful partnerships that contribute to a more just and sustainable world.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Warning signs on climate flashing: scientists
PARIS (AFP) — From carbon pollution to sea-level rise to global heating, the pace and level of key climate change indicators are all in uncharted territory, more than 60 top scientists warned Thursday. Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and deforestation hit a new high in 2024 and averaged, over the last decade, a record 53.6 billion tons per year — that is 100,000 tons per minute — of CO2 or its equivalent in other gases, they reported in a peer-reviewed update. Earth's surface temperature last year breached 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time, and the additional CO2 humanity can emit with a two-thirds chance of staying under that threshold long-term — our 1.5 C "carbon budget" — will be exhausted in a couple of years, they calculated. Investment in clean energy outpaced investment in oil, gas and coal last year two-to-one, but fossil fuels account for more than 80 percent of global energy consumption, and growth in renewables still lags behind new demand. Included in the 2015 Paris climate treaty as an aspirational goal, the 1.5 C limit has since been validated by science as necessary for avoiding a catastrophically climate-addled world. The hard cap on warming to which nearly 200 nations agreed was "well below" two degrees, commonly interpreted to mean 1.7 C to 1.8 C. "We are already in crunch time for these higher levels of warming," co-author Joeri Rogelj, a professor of climate science and policy at Imperial College London, told journalists in a briefing. "The next three or four decades is pretty much the timeline over which we expect a peak in warming to happen." No less alarming than record heat and carbon emissions is the gathering pace at which these and other climate indicators are shifting, according to the study, published in Earth System Science Data. Human-induced warming increased over the last decade at a rate "unprecedented in the instrumental record," and well above the 2010-2019 average registered in the UN's most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, in 2021. The new findings — led by the same scientists using essentially the same methods — are intended as an authoritative albeit unofficial update of the benchmark IPCC reports underpinning global climate diplomacy. They should be taken as a reality check by policymakers, the authors suggested. "I tend to be an optimistic person," said lead author Piers Forster, head of the University of Leed's Priestley Centre for Climate Futures. "But if you look at this year's update, things are all moving in the wrong direction." The rate at which sea levels have shot up in recent years is also alarming, the scientists said. After creeping up, on average, well under two millimetres per year from 1901 to 2018, global oceans have risen 4.3 millimiters annually since 2019. An increase in the ocean watermark of 23 centimeters — just over the width of an A4 sheet of paper — over the last 125 years has been enough to imperil many small island states and hugely amplify the destructive power of storm surges worldwide. An additional 20 centimeters of sea level rise by 2050 would cause $1 trillion in flood damage annually in the world's 136 largest coastal cities, earlier research has shown. Another indicator underlying all the changes in the climate system is Earth's so-called energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy entering the atmosphere and the smaller amount leaving it. So far, 91 percent of human-caused warming has been absorbed by oceans, sparing life on land. But the planet's energy imbalance has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, and scientists do not know how long oceans will continue to massively soak up this excess heat. Dire future climate impacts worse than what the world has already experienced are already baked in over the next decade or two. But beyond that, the future is in our hands, the scientists made clear. "We will rapidly reach a level of global warming of 1.5 C, but what happens next depends on the choices which will be made," said co-author and former IPCC co-chair Valerie Masson-Delmotte. The Paris Agreement's 1.5 C target allows for the possibility of ratcheting down global temperatures below that threshold before century's end. Ahead of a critical year-end climate summit in Brazil, international cooperation has been weakened by the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. President Donald Trump's dismantling of domestic climate policies means the United States is likely to fall short on its emissions reduction targets, and could sap the resolve of other countries to deepen their own pledges, experts say.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Asia rises, MIT holds Top spot as QS reveals 2026 World University Rankings
US and China gain ground, Italy and Saudi Arabia debut in top 100 #QSWUR LONDON, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds have released the 22nd edition of the QS World University Rankings. MIT retains the global #1 position for the 14th consecutive year. Imperial College London holds second place, while Stanford University surges to third. Top 10 Universities (2026 / 2025) 1 / 1 MIT – US 2 / 2 Imperial College London – UK 3 / 6 Stanford University – US 4 / 3 University of Oxford – UK 5 / 4 Harvard University – US 6 / 5 University of Cambridge – UK 7 / 7 ETH Zurich – Switzerland 8 / 8 National University of Singapore – Singapore 9 / 9 UCL – UK 10 / 10 California Institute of Technology – US This edition features 1,500+ institutions across 106 locations. The US leads with 192 ranked universities, followed by the UK (90) and Mainland China (72). India (54) and Germany (48) round out the top five. Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, said: "We are witnessing a rebalancing of global academic influence. The Ranking highlights a shifting center of gravity in higher education—towards Asia, which now claims the highest number of ranked universities worldwide. While traditional powerhouses maintain strong positions, the data shows clear momentum in regions investing heavily in research capacity, internationalization, and long-term strategy. The QS World University Rankings illuminate not only institutional excellence, but also the evolving contours of global knowledge production. These shifts underscore an increasingly multipolar academic world—more competitive, more connected, and more ambitious than ever."
