Weekly Analysis: 11 Universities Publish 10+ Nature and Science Papers

The number of papers published in Nature and Science is widely recognized as one of the key indicators for measuring the international research influence of universities.

During the period from April 27 to May 3, 2026, a total of 7 universities ranked within the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings published papers in Nature (Science had no new publications during this period). These 7 universities were from China (3), the United States (2), the United Kingdom (1), and Germany (1).

Among them, the University of Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania each published 2 papers in Nature. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, Nanjing University, RWTH Aachen University, and The Ohio State University each published 1 paper in Nature. Notably, this marks RWTH Aachen University’s first paper published in Nature or Science in 2026.

Expanding the time frame to January 1 to May 3, 2026, a total of 88 universities ranked within the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings had published 426 papers in Nature and Science. Among them, 29 U.S. universities published 209 papers, maintaining their dominant position in global scientific output; 14 Chinese universities published 110 papers, firmly securing second place; and 11 U.K. universities published 36 papers, sustaining Europe’s leading position.

Among these 88 universities, 11 institutions published 10 or more papers. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranked first with 32 papers, including 24 in Nature and 8 in Science. Stanford University followed closely with 31 papers, including 12 in Science, making it the university with the highest number of Science publications. Together, these two universities alone accounted for 15% of all published papers.

Harvard University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and the University of Science and Technology of China each published 15 or more papers, forming the second tier. Other universities with notable output included Fudan University (14 papers), University of Cambridge (13 papers), Cornell University (12 papers), University of California, Berkeley (10 papers), and Zhejiang University (10 papers).

These 11 universities published a combined total of 193 papers, accounting for 45% of all publications from QS top 200 universities, highlighting a highly concentrated distribution of research output among leading institutions. Among them, 5 U.S. universities published 106 papers, 5 Chinese universities published 74 papers, and the sole U.K. representative, the University of Cambridge, published 13 papers. Although the average output of top U.S. institutions remains higher than that of their Chinese counterparts, China has demonstrated a clear trend of collective breakthroughs in top-tier journals.

Below is the list of QS top 200 universities that published 2 or more papers in Nature and Science between January 1 and May 3, 2026.

Notes: QS 2026 top 200; Nature: Article, Review Article; Science: Research Article, Review, Special-Issue Research Article; first and/or corresponding author affiliations; each unique institution counted once per paper; print issues only; data through April 26, 2026.