MIT Leads Global Employability Rankings as Princeton and Tokyo Enter the Top 10

The GEURS 2027 (Global Employability University Ranking & Survey), jointly published by Times Higher Education and French higher education consultancy Emerging, has been released, highlighting how employers around the world rate universities for graduate employability.

GEURS is one of the few global university rankings based entirely on the perspective of employers and is published annually. This year’s ranking drew 170,457 votes from 15,665 screened employers across 40 countries, resulting in a final ranking of 300 universities across 46 countries and territories.

The top 10 remained largely stable, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retaining the No. 1 position and Stanford University ranking second. The University of Oxford moved up one place to third, followed by the University of Cambridge and Harvard University in fourth and fifth.

Two universities newly entered the top 10: Princeton University and the University of Tokyo. Princeton made one of the biggest gains in the top tier, climbing seven places to No. 7, while the University of Tokyo ranked No. 10.

Among the top 100 universities, the United States accounted for 23, followed by France with 12, Germany and the UK with seven each, and mainland China, Canada and Australia with six each.

US Universities Continue to Dominate North America

The United States was by far the leading individual country, with 55 universities making the overall ranking. US institutions also occupied five of the top seven positions.

Beyond Princeton’s seven-place rise, several other leading US universities recorded notable gains. Columbia University climbed four places to No. 14, while Yale University rose six places to No. 16.

Canada had six universities in the top 100, led by the University of Toronto at No. 22. The University of Waterloo recorded one of the largest gains among Canadian institutions, jumping 27 places to No. 95.

Germany Leads Europe’s Second-Tier of Research Powers

Europe accounted for 112 universities in the overall ranking, including 40 in the top 100.

The UK had 17 universities in the ranking. University College London (UCL) climbed 24 places to No. 74, while the University of Warwick rose 29 places to No. 101 and the University of Edinburgh moved up 28 places to No. 114.

Germany had 21 universities in the ranking, making it the second-largest national cohort after the US. Technical University of Munich (TUM) led German institutions at No. 12, with seven German universities making the top 100.

France stood out for the concentration of its top-ranked institutions. Of its 19 universities in the overall ranking, 12 placed in the top 100. HEC Paris ranked No. 27, followed closely by Institut Polytechnique de Paris at No. 28.

Asian Universities Make Strong Gains

Asia had 22 universities in the top 100, led by National University of Singapore (NUS) at No. 8.

Japanese universities recorded particularly strong gains. Osaka University climbed 30 places to No. 120, while Institute of Science Tokyo made a major leap into the top 40 at No. 39. Kyoto University ranked No. 38.

India also benefited from the expanded field in this year’s ranking, with 13 universities making the overall list. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi was the highest-ranked Indian institution at No. 36.

Australian Universities All Move Up

All six Australian universities in the top 100 improved their positions.

The University of Melbourne climbed six places to No. 32, while the University of New South Wales rose 14 places to No. 72.

Together with the University of Auckland, which ranked No. 93, Australia and New Zealand had seven universities in the top 100.

The latest GEURS results highlight not only the continued dominance of leading US universities in employer perceptions, but also significant upward movement among universities in Asia, Australia and several European countries.