U.S. News & World Report unveils 2025–2026 Best Global Universities rankings, evaluating 2,250+ institutions

The latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report assess academic research performance and reputation across more than 2,250 institutions in over 100 countries.

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025–2026 Best Global Universities rankings, evaluating 2,250 universities from more than 100 countries. The rankings are based on academic research performance and reputation, using bibliometric indicators and data from Clarivate’s Web of Science Core Collection and InCites Benchmarking & Analytics.

U.S. News & World Report is a Washington-based media company that publishes independent rankings and analysis across sectors such as education, health, finance, and travel. The Best Global Universities rankings support students in identifying institutions with recognized global research strength.

China leads the overall rankings with 397 institutions, followed by the United States with 280. Other countries with high representation include India (118), Japan (104), and the United Kingdom (93).

Top 10 global universities in 2025–2026

1. Harvard University (U.S.)

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (U.S.)

3. Stanford University (U.S.)

4. University of Oxford (U.K.)

5. University of Cambridge (U.K.)

6. University of California Berkeley (U.S.)

7. University College London (U.K.)

8. University of Washington Seattle (U.S.)

9. Yale University (U.S.)

10. Columbia University (U.S.)

Top universities by region

Africa – Top 3

1. University of Cape Town (South Africa)

2. Cairo University (Egypt)

3. University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)

Asia – Top 3

1. Tsinghua University (China)

2. National University of Singapore (Singapore)

3. Peking University (China)

Australia/New Zealand – Top 3

1. University of Sydney (Australia)

2. University of Melbourne (Australia)

3. University of New South Wales Sydney (Australia)

Europe – Top 3

1. University of Oxford (U.K.)

2. University of Cambridge (U.K.)

3. University College London (U.K.)

Latin America – Top 3

1. Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil)

3. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (Chile)

Subject rankings expand in key fields

Of the 51 subjects covered by U.S. News, eight categories now feature more ranked institutions. These include agricultural sciences, artificial intelligence, computer science, electrical and electronic engineering, engineering, gastroenterology and hepatology, plant and animal science, and polymer science.

Each subject category applies its own set of weightings, focusing on discipline-specific research output and academic reputation.