ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) is the sixth best university in the world, according to the 2020 edition of the QS World University Rankings®.

It continues ETH Zurich’s proud record of being the best university in Switzerland.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, ETH Zurich scored particularly highly for its ratio of international faculty members, for which it is ranked 19th in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of ETH Zurich in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, where it is ranked first in the world for earth & marine sciences and is ranked in the world’s top ten for several other subjects.

The 2020 QS World University Rankings features over 1,000 universities. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

The University of Chicago is the ninth-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

It continues a fantastic record for Chicago, which has been ranked in the world’s top 10 for three straight years now.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Chicago scored particularly highly for its reputation with academics, for which it is ranked 13th in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Chicago in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked in the top 10 in the world for five subjects: accounting & finance, anthropology, sociology, economics & econometrics, and English language & literature.

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

Imperial College London is the eighth-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

It continues a fantastic record for Imperial, which has been one of the few UK universities to move up the rankings this year (up one place compared to last year).

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Imperial scored particularly highly for its reputation with employers, for which it is ranked eighth in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Imperial in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked among the top 10 in the world for five different subjects, four of which are branches of engineering (chemical, civil/structural, electrical/electronic and mechanical/aeronautical/manufacturing).

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

UCL (University College London) is the seventh-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

This is the third straight year that UCL has been ranked seventh in the world, a highly impressive record for the London university.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, UCL scored particularly highly for its reputation with academics, for which it is ranked 16th in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of UCL in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked among the top 10 universities in the world for five subjects: dentistry, geography, medicine, psychology and pharmacy & pharmacology.

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

The University of Oxford is the sixth-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

It continues a fantastic record for Oxford, which has been ranked among the world’s top six universities in each of the last five years.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Oxford scored particularly highly for its reputation with employers, for which it is ranked second in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Oxford in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked first in the world for four different subjects: archaeology, geography, anatomy & physiology, and English language & literature.

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

The University of Cambridge is the fifth-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

Although Cambridge has fallen one place since last year, it retains its title as the best university in the UK and has been ranked in the world’s top five for each of the last five years.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Cambridge scored particularly highly for its reputation with employers, for which it is ranked first in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Cambridge in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked second in the world for the following subjects:

• Anatomy & physiology
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Civil & structural engineering
• English language & literature

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

Click here to view the latest version of this article, based on the QS World University Rankings® 2020.

The QS World University Rankings® 2018 is here, and 26 universities in Canada are featured among the world’s best. Of these, four are in the global top 100, while a further nine Canadian universities are ranked in the top 300. Planning to study in the Great White North? Here’s where to consider first, starting with the country’s top 10.

1. University of Toronto

Overtaking McGill University to once again be ranked as the best Canadian university is the University of Toronto, up one place at 31^st in the world this year. Established in 1827, the University of Toronto has around 88,700 students at its three campuses in Toronto, and is renowned for its research innovations, such as the discoveries of insulin and stem cells.

2. McGill University

Ranked 32^nd in the world in 2018, McGill University was founded in 1821 and has around 40,500 students, of which 25% are international. Located in Montreal, the university boasts the highest number of Rhodes Scholars (142) and Nobel Prize winners (12) among all Canadian universities. 

3. University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is down six places to rank 51^st in the world this year, but nonetheless remains the third-highest-ranked university in Canada. Located in Vancouver and Kelowna in British Columbia, the university has about 62,900 students, including 14,434 international students from 162 countries.

4. University of Alberta

Up four places to rank joint 90^th in the world alongside South Korea’s Korea University, the University of Alberta was founded in 1908 and is mainly based in the city of Edmonton. The university enrolls 37,830 students from 143 countries and has an annual impact of CA$12.3 billion on Alberta’s economy.

5. Université de Montréal

Ranked 130^th in the world, the Université de Montréal is Canada’s highest-ranked Francophone university and one of the top 10 employers in the Montreal region. The university was established in 1878 and is one of the most active Canadian universities in research, with research revenue of more than half a billion dollars.

6. McMaster University

McMaster University, up nine places this year to rank 140^th in the world, was originally founded in 1887 in Toronto but relocated to Hamilton, Ontario in 1930. McMaster is home to 70 research centers and institutes, and is particularly renowned for its medical school.

7. University of Waterloo

Also located in Ontario, the University of Waterloo is ranked 152^nd in the world this year and is one of the youngest of these top universities in Canada, having opened its doors as recently as 1957. Today it has 36,670 students, with 37% of its graduate students coming from outside Canada.

8. Western University

Ranked joint 210^th in the world alongside Belgium’s University of Antwerp, Western University is located in London, Ontario. Previously known as the University of Western Ontario, the university was founded in 1878 and now has around 28,800 students.

9. University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is ranked 217^th in the world in 2018, down on last year but nonetheless a top-10 Canadian university. Founded in 1966, the university has five campuses, including one in Qatar, and has been the birthplace of a variety of significant inventions, including the neurochip.

10. Queen's University

Queen’s University is ranked joint 224^th in the world in 2018 and is one of the oldest universities in Canada, established in 1841 – 26 years before Canada was founded. Today, Queen’s has around 22,461 students, 10% of whom are international.

The remaining top universities in Canada…

11. Simon Fraser University – ranked joint 245^th in the world.
12. Dalhousie University – ranked joint 279^th in the world.
13. University of Ottawa – ranked joint 289^th in the world.
14. University of Victoria – ranked joint 346^th in the world.
15. Laval University – ranked 378^th in the world.
16. Concordia University – ranked 431-440 in the world.
17. York University – ranked 441-450 in the world.
18. University of Saskatchewan – ranked 451-460 in the world.
19. University of Guelph – ranked 491-500 in the world.
20. Université du Québec – ranked 501-550 in the world.
21. University of Manitoba – ranked 551-600 in the world.
22. Université de Sherbrooke – ranked 601-650 in the world.

=23. Carleton University – ranked 651-700 in the world.

=23. University of Windsor – ranked 651-700 in the world.

25. Memorial University of Newfoundland – ranked 701-750 in the world.
26. Ryerson University – ranked 801-1000 in the world.

Find out more about studying in Canada with our complete guide, including advice on applications, visas, fees and more.

For information about ranking categories, and answers to other frequently asked questions, click here.

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is the fourth-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

It caps an outstanding rise up the rankings over recent years for Caltech, from eighth in 2015 and fifth last year.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Caltech scored particularly highly for its ratio of students to faculty members, for which it is ranked third in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Caltech in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked in the top 10 in the world for five different subjects: biological sciences, chemistry, chemical engineering, earth & marine sciences and physics & astronomy.

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

Harvard University is the third-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

It continues a fantastic record for Harvard, which has been ranked in the top four in the world in each of the last five years.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Harvard scored particularly highly for its reputation with academics, for which it is ranked the best in the world.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Harvard in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked first in the world for fifteen different subjects, including history, law, medicine and psychology.

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here>, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.

Stanford University is the second-best university in the world, according to the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.

It continues a fantastic record for Stanford, which has been ranked as one of the world’s top three universities for the last three years.

Of the six ranking indicators used to assess universities, Stanford scored particularly highly for its reputation with both other academics and employers, achieving a ranking of fifth in the world for both of these categories.

This good ranking follows the extremely strong performance of Stanford in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, where it is ranked second in the world in seven different subjects:

• Computer science & information systems
• Chemical engineering
• Electrical & electronic engineering
• Mechanical, aeronautical & manufacturing engineering
• Environmental sciences
• Materials science
• Psychology

This year’s World University Ranking features over 950 universities from 84 different countries. To read more about how it’s compiled, click here, or click here to see this year’s rankings in full.