Chinese group Acquires Dublin Business School for $127.5 Million
Recently, China Chunlai Education Group Co announced that it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Kaplan International UK Holdings Limited to acquire 100% of the issued share capital of Accountancy & Business College (Ireland) Limited for US$127.5 million. As part of the transaction, the Group will also acquire the relevant intellectual property rights transferred by Kaplan Inc. Upon completion of the transaction, Dublin Business School (DBS), operated by Accountancy & Business College (Ireland) Limited, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of China Chunlai. DBS is Ireland’s largest independent third-level college. With more than 9,000 students, DBS offers a comprehensive range of full-time and part-time undergraduate, postgraduate, professional and executive education programmes. Established in 1975, the College quickly built an excellent reputation for teaching quality and academic standards, providing flexible and innovative learning opportunities that meet the evolving needs of students and employers. DBS has a diverse international student body from Ireland, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. As the only English-speaking country in the European Union, Ireland offers a globally recognised education system and has attracted more than 970 multinational companies to establish operations there, creating strong employment prospects for graduates. China Chunlai Education Group is a private higher education group founded in 2004. The Group currently operates four colleges in Henan Province, two colleges in Hubei Province, and one college in Jiangsu Province. For the fiscal year 2025 (ended 31 August 2025), the Group recorded annual revenue of RMB1.791 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.8% and marking ten consecutive years of revenue growth. Profit attributable to the Group’s owners reached a record high of RMB836 million, up 7.4% year on year. Notably, the Group achieved a net profit margin of 46.7%, placing it among the leading players in China’s private higher education sector. During the 2024–2025 academic year, China Chunlai had a total student enrolment of 109,952, surpassing the milestone of 100,000 students for the first time. In 2026, the Group continued its growth momentum. According to its interim report for the six months ended 28 February 2026, the Group recorded revenue of RMB956 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.4%, while adjusted net profit rose 7.3% year on year to RMB432 million. Total student enrolment further increased to 116,784, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.3%. The acquisition of Dublin Business School marks another step in China Chunlai’s expansion into global education. Prior to this transaction, the Group had already entered into Sino-foreign cooperative education agreements with institutions including the Australian Institute of Elite Education and Massey University in New Zealand. DBS President Tim Bicknell said: “We’re excited about this next chapter alongside China Chunlai. Together, we will build on these strong foundations, enhancing academic excellence and creating even greater opportunities for our students, staff and wider academic community through the outstanding experience they have come to expect from DBS.”
Peking University’s 2007 Mathematics Cohort Celebrates Another Global Achievement
On August 5 local time, Weijie Su, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, received the 2026 COPSS Presidents’ Award at the 2026 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM 2026) held in Boston, United States. Su was honored for his outstanding contributions, including the statistical foundations of generative AI, particularly in watermarking, alignment, and ranking of large language models (LLMs); advances in privacy-preserving data analysis applied to the 2020 U.S. Decennial Census; improvements to peer review in machine learning; foundational work in convex optimization; and broad contributions to deep learning theory and high-dimensional inference. During the conference, Su was also elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA Fellow). Su is a fellow alumnus of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University, together with Hong Wang and Yu Deng, who recently received the Fields Medal, widely regarded as the “Nobel Prize of Mathematics.” All three graduated from Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences as members of the Class of 2007 undergraduate cohort. At the award ceremony, Su expressed his gratitude: “I have benefited from many people throughout my journey, especially my teachers at Peking University and Stanford University, who generously shared their knowledge and guidance. I am also grateful for the scholarships I received at both universities, which allowed me to focus on my studies.” Su noted that artificial intelligence will make data increasingly abundant and valuable, further enhancing the importance of statistics. “It is an exciting time to become a statistician,” he said. About Weijie SuWeijie Su is an Associate Professor in the Wharton Statistics and Data Science Department and, by courtesy, in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves as Co-Director of the Penn Research in Machine Learning Center. Su received his Ph.D. in Statistics from Stanford University in 2016 and his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Peking University in 2011. His research interests include the statistical foundations of generative AI, high-dimensional statistics, privacy-preserving data analysis, and optimization. He is a founding Co-Editor of the journal Statistical Learning and Data Science and serves as an Associate Editor for several leading academic journals, including the Journal of the American Statistical Association (JASA), Annals of Applied Statistics (AOAS), Journal of Machine Learning Research (JMLR), Foundations and Trends in Statistics, Harvard Data Science Review, and Operations Research. Su currently serves on the Organizing Committee of ICML 2026 as Scientific Integrity Chair, where his isotonic mechanism will be deployed to improve the peer-review process. His research has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Stanford Theodore Anderson Dissertation Award, NSF CAREER Award, Sloan Research Fellowship, IMS Peter Hall Prize, SIAM Early Career Prize in Data Science, ASA Noether Early Career Award, ICBS Frontiers of Science Award in Mathematics, IMS Medallion Lectureship, and the Outstanding Young Talent Award in the 2025 China Annual Review of Mathematics. He has authored two discussion papers in JRSSB and JASA and is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS). About the COPSS Presidents’ AwardThe Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) sponsors and presents the COPSS Presidents’ Award annually to recognize a statistician aged 40 or younger who has made outstanding contributions to statistical research. Established in 1976, the award consists of a commemorative plaque and a cash honorarium of US$2,000. It is presented each year at the Joint Statistical Meetings, one of the world’s largest gatherings of statisticians. Peking University Mathematics: A Rising Force in Global MathematicsThe recognition of Weijie Su comes shortly after another historic achievement by Peking University mathematics alumni. Recently, Hong Wang and Yu Deng, both members of Peking University’s 2007 undergraduate cohort, were awarded the Fields Medal, marking the first time that mathematicians of Chinese nationality have received the honor and the first time that two mathematicians with a background in China’s domestic mathematics education system have won the world’s highest honor in mathematics in the same year. For Wang and Deng, as well as other emerging mathematicians, Peking University has played a pivotal role in their academic development. Wang entered Peking University in 2007 through the School of Earth and Space Sciences and transferred to the School of Mathematical Sciences one year later due to her passion for mathematics. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences in 2011. Deng, also a member of the 2007 undergraduate cohort, entered Peking University through a recommendation after winning a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad. He later transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics. At the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), 14 mathematicians associated with Peking University were invited to deliver 45-minute academic lectures. They include alumni from different generations as well as faculty members, reflecting the university’s growing influence in global mathematics. Today, Peking University mathematics has developed a strong new generation of researchers who are making significant contributions across frontier areas of mathematics. Alumni from the university’s “golden generation” have achieved international recognition in fields including algebraic geometry, number theory, arithmetic geometry, p-adic Hodge theory, and mathematical physics. Among them, Chen-Yang Xu (Class of 1999) has made influential contributions to algebraic geometry; Zhiwei Yun (Class of 2000) has advanced connections between number theory and geometry; Ruochuan Liu (Class of 1999) has made foundational contributions to p-adic Hodge theory and the p-adic Langlands program; Xinyi Yuan (Class of 2000) has achieved major breakthroughs in Arakelov geometry, Diophantine geometry, and arithmetic dynamics; and Yi Liu (Class of 2002) solved longstanding problems including conjectures proposed by Fields Medalist Curtis McMullen. The 2007 undergraduate cohort has produced a new generation of internationally recognized scholars, including Hong Wang, Yu Deng, Weijie Su, Xin Sun, and Yunqing Tang. Ziquan Zhuang (Class of 2010) became the youngest Peking University mathematician invited to deliver a lecture at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians. Together, these achievements highlight the accelerating development of Peking University mathematics and its growing global impact in science and research.
WorldHE NS Watch: 165 Universities Published in Nature and Science in July
Nature and Science, the world's most influential and authoritative multidisciplinary scientific journals, have long served as the premier platforms for publishing major scientific discoveries and breakthrough research. WorldHE continuously tracks the latest and annual publication data of universities worldwide in Nature and Science (NS), offering a unique lens through which to observe the evolving landscape of global higher education and scientific research. As the opening month of the second half of the year, July saw universities around the world deliver another strong wave of research output in Nature and Science. A total of 165 universities published NS papers during the month. Among them, two institutions published more than 10 papers, while another two maintained a remarkable pace by publishing NS papers every week throughout July. 165 Universities Published NS Papers in JulyFrom a geographical perspective, the 165 universities publishing NS papers in July were distributed across 24 countries. China accounted for 51 institutions, including 47 universities in China Mainland, two in Hong Kong, China, and two in Taiwan, China, while the United States contributed 48 universities. Together, China and the United States represented approximately 60% of all publishing institutions. The two countries have firmly established themselves as the dual global leaders in top-tier journal publications, with their university sectors demonstrating research vitality far exceeding that of other national research systems. The top three positions in July's NS publication rankings were all occupied by U.S. universities, closely mirroring the year-to-date standings. Harvard University retained the top spot with 12 publications, including nine in Nature, the highest monthly Nature output among all universities worldwide. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) followed with 10 publications, making Harvard and MIT the only two institutions to publish 10 or more NS papers in July. Stanford University ranked third with nine publications, with the three universities forming a clear top tier. The University of Cambridge delivered an especially impressive performance, climbing to fourth place with a total of eight publications—five in Nature and three in Science—demonstrating strong momentum. The University of California, Berkeley ranked fifth with seven papers, continuing its consistent strength in interdisciplinary research. Other universities publishing five or more NS papers included Peking University, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yale University, together forming the backbone of this month's high-output institutions. Notably, Peking University published four Science papers, the highest monthly Science output among all universities worldwide, further underscoring the dominant position of China and the United States among the world's most productive research institutions. July HighlightsSeveral universities stood out in July's NS rankings with distinctive research achievements. Behind Harvard University's total of 12 publications was an extraordinary publishing rhythm, with four NS papers appearing in each of three consecutive weeks. These studies spanned cutting-edge topics including dendritic cells, targeted protein degradation, tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), and AI-redesigned proteases. The University of Cambridge and Peking University were the only two universities to publish NS papers every week throughout July, demonstrating exceptional consistency in research output. Cambridge's publications focused on interdisciplinary topics such as the Hormone Cell Atlas, fibroblasts, and the complex dynamics of Earth's interior. Meanwhile, on July 2, Peking University published a Science paper reporting the world's first millisecond-scale neuromorphic dynamical system chip based on phase-change memristors, marking a major breakthrough in next-generation neuromorphic computing hardware. Science simultaneously published a Perspective article praising the work as "representing a conceptual shift toward physics-driven computing." In terms of research leadership, most July publications listed the universities as corresponding-author institutions. Particularly noteworthy were the University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, and Nanjing University, each of which achieved full leadership across all of their published papers, serving as both the first-author and corresponding-author institution in every case. This reflects their strong capabilities in research organization, resource integration, and leadership in international collaboration. MethodologyFor Nature, only articles classified as Article and Review Article are included. For Science, the included document types are Special-Issue Research Article, Research Article, and Review. Each affiliation of the first author and corresponding author is counted once. If the first-author affiliation and corresponding-author affiliation are the same institution, it is counted only once. The statistics include only formally published papers and exclude advance online publications. Further ReadingWorldHE NS Watch: Global Nature & Science Publications Surge Last Week Global Nature and Science Leaders, H1 2026
WorldHE NS Watch: Global Nature & Science Publications Surge Last Week
As global competition in scientific research continues to intensify, publication output in Nature and Science has become one of the most important indicators of a university's research excellence, capacity for original innovation, and international academic influence. WorldHE continuously tracks both the latest weekly and rolling 12-month publication data from universities worldwide, using Nature and Science output to reveal the evolving landscape of global higher education and scientific research. Click here to access the complete university NS publication data. Global University NS Publications: July 27–August 2, 2026Universities worldwide delivered another strong week of high-impact research, with 55 institutions publishing papers in Nature or Science. Among them, 19 universities were from the United States and 18 from China Mainland, placing both well ahead of other countries and regions. The United Kingdom also maintained a strong presence, with five universities publishing NS papers during the week. The University of California, Berkeley delivered one of the week's strongest performances, publishing two Nature papers and one Science paper. Berkeley was listed as both the first-author and corresponding-author institution on all three publications. Its research covered a diverse range of frontier topics, including ferroelectric cross-coupling, climate epidemiology, and paleobiogeography, highlighting the university's long-standing strength in interdisciplinary research and its ability to drive original scientific innovation. Imperial College London, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the University of Oxford, Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Yale University each published two NS papers, making them among the week's top-performing institutions. Global University NS Rankings: August 2, 2025–August 2, 2026Over the past 12 months, 68 universities worldwide have published at least 10 papers in Nature or Science, reflecting the increasingly intense competition among the world's leading research institutions. Among the Top 10 universities by combined Nature and Science output, the United States accounts for five universities, China Mainland for three, and the United Kingdom for two, together forming the current top tier of global scientific research. Harvard University remains the clear global leader with 142 papers, including 91 in Nature and 51 in Science. It leads all universities in publications in both journals. Harvard was also the corresponding-author institution on 138 papers, demonstrating an exceptional ability to independently lead world-class research. MIT ranked second with 98 papers, followed by Stanford University with 93. Together with Harvard, the three universities form an elite research cluster approaching the 100-paper mark. The University of California, Berkeley ranked fourth with 67 NS papers. Although its overall output remains below the top three, Berkeley is the only university in the global top 10 to publish more Science papers (36) than Nature papers (31). Its Science output ranks second among all universities, behind only Harvard, reflecting the university's long-established strengths in astrophysics, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, a university in China Mainland, ranked fifth globally with 55 papers, making it the highest-ranked non-U.S. institution. The University of Cambridge ranked sixth with 48 papers, followed by Tsinghua University in seventh with 46 papers. Peking University, the University of Oxford, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) completed the global top 10. Click here to access the complete university NS publication data. MethodologyFor Nature, only publications classified as Article and Review Article were included. For Science, the analysis includes Research Article, Special-Issue Research Article, and Review. Only the physically affiliated first author was counted as the first author. All corresponding-author affiliations were included, with each affiliated institution counted once. If the first-author institution and the corresponding-author institution were the same, the publication was counted only once for that institution. Only formally published articles were included in the analysis. Advance online publications and papers in pre-publication status were excluded.
Wang Jinsong Wins China's First William Nordberg Medal
At the 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly on Aug. 3, Chinese space physicist and meteorologist Wang Jinsong and U.S. space physicist David Gary Sibeck were awarded the William Nordberg Medal, one of the Committee on Space Research's (COSPAR) highest scientific honors. Each recipient will also have an asteroid named in recognition of their contributions. COSPAR, a scientific body of the International Science Council, presents the William Nordberg Medal every two years to scientists who have made distinguished contributions to the application of space science. Since 2022, the award has been presented to two recipients each cycle. According to China Central Television (CCTV), Wang is the first Chinese scientist to receive the medal since it was established in 1988, marking a milestone for China's growing international profile in space science and its applications. Wang Jinsong Wang is director of the National Satellite Meteorological Center—also known as the National Center for Space Weather—under the China Meteorological Administration, and chief designer of China's Fengyun meteorological satellite program. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Wang has played a leading role in building China's operational space weather capability. He led the establishment of the country's national space weather system and advanced the development and international application of the Fengyun satellite series. His research team has achieved technological advances in high-precision solar imaging from non-sun-pointing platforms, wide-field auroral imaging, broadband omnidirectional particle detection and weak airglow observations. Wang also proposed new approaches for modeling Sun–Earth interactions and led the development of China's first generation of numerical space weather forecasting systems. More recently, he oversaw development of Fengyu, described by the China Meteorological Administration as the world's first end-to-end artificial intelligence forecasting model spanning the solar wind, magnetosphere and ionosphere. Designed to improve the speed and accuracy of space weather prediction, the system is intended to enhance forecasting during extreme solar events. Wang also introduced a "three-element, five-level" framework for evaluating satellite performance, which has become a theoretical basis for the planning, design and operation of China's Fengyun meteorological satellite program. Wang earned bachelor's and master's degrees in space physics from Peking University before completing a Ph.D. in space physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He joined the National Satellite Meteorological Center in 2005 after holding research and faculty positions at Peking University. David Gary Sibeck Sibeck serves as chief scientist of NASA's Heliophysics Division. His research focuses on the interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere, where space weather effects are most directly experienced. After earning bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles, Sibeck conducted postdoctoral research on Earth's radiation belts before joining the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1987. During his career, he has made significant contributions to international magnetospheric science, participating in the Prognoz and Interball spacecraft programs, helping preserve NASA's historical magnetospheric data archives, organizing international research collaborations through Switzerland's International Space Science Institute, and contributing to studies defining U.S. military space weather requirements. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and recipient of the AGU's James B. Macelwane Medal. Since joining NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 2002, Sibeck has helped shape NASA's heliophysics program. He served as deputy program scientist for the agency's Living With a Star initiative before becoming project and mission scientist for the THEMIS/ARTEMIS and Van Allen Probes missions. He currently leads development of a wide-field soft X-ray imager designed to observe interactions between the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. In addition to his research, Sibeck has held numerous leadership roles in the international space physics community, including as a former president of the American Geophysical Union's Space Physics and Aeronomy Section and a long-serving advisor to the European Space Agency's Cluster Active Archive.
UK's First 'Super-University' Approved as Greenwich and Kent Complete Merger
3 August, The University of Greenwich and University of Kent have confirmed that their merger has successfully completed as expected and the new London and South East University Group – to be known as LASE – is now an official legal entity. The official launch of the LASE University Group will take place on Monday 7 September. The group will have more than 50,000 students across four campuses in London, Medway and Kent, making it the third-largest higher education institution in the UK. The new multi-university group, described as “the UK’s first super-university”, is a first of its kind model – allowing the creation of the new university group whilst enabling the two universities to continue trading under their individual names with their distinct identities, courses, and local presence. It is designed to enable other universities to join in the future. Students will continue to apply to, study at, and graduate from the University of Greenwich or the University of Kent. The two universities first announced their intention to explore the creation of a new multi-university group in September last year. In February this year, they formally agreed to merge and signed the relevant legal agreements. A new Chancellor, governing body and senior executive team for LASE have been appointed and officially take up their roles. Professor Jane Harrington, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich and Chief Executive of LASE University Group, said: "There has been tireless work over the last year working to an ambitious timetable and developing a new university model that has never been done before." She added: "It means we are starting with a smooth transition, an extremely strong senior executive team and clear direction so that we can fulfil our potential as the UK's first super-university." Previously, the Office for Students (OfS), the UK's higher education regulator, described this type of merger as an "innovative approach" and suggested that more universities could consider similar models to address growing financial pressures. The Universities of Greenwich and Kent have also stated that they hope their collaboration will provide a blueprint for other institutions, as the merged group will establish a stronger financial foundation to help navigate future economic challenges. The merger reflects the increasingly severe financial pressures facing the UK higher education sector. According to The Guardian, the Office for Students (OfS) warned that 24 higher education providers were at risk of becoming insolvent and closing within the 12 months from November last year. The regulator also estimated that 45% of higher education providers could be operating at a deficit during the 2025–26 academic year. In May, members of the House of Commons Education Select Committee described the higher education sector as "facing a financial crisis", warning that there was "a clear possibility of a university closing." Their report acknowledged that many universities had already responded by cutting jobs, selling buildings or land, and closing academic programmes. Another major merger is also on the horizon. In May this year, King's College London (KCL) and Cranfield University reached a preliminary agreement to merge, with the transaction expected to be completed in August 2027. Under the proposed arrangement, Cranfield University will become part of King's College London and will no longer exist as an independent institution. The merged university is expected to become the second-largest university in the UK by student population, behind only University College London (UCL). University of GreenwichFounded in 1890, the University of Greenwich traces its origins to Woolwich Polytechnic and the Royal Naval College, making it the second polytechnic established in the UK. Located in London, the university further strengthened its research capacity in 1996 through the integration of the internationally renowned Natural Resources Institute and the Maritime Research Institute. In 2013, it joined University Alliance, a group of leading professional and technical universities in the UK. Today, the University of Greenwich is recognized as one of the UK's leading institutions, with strong performance in teaching, research, and talent development, particularly in applied disciplines. In 2023, it entered the top 100 of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for the first time and ranked first in the UK for student satisfaction in a national university survey published the same year. It also received a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2023. In 2026, it was ranked the fifth-best university in London. University of KentEstablished in 1965, the University of Kent is a leading comprehensive research university located in Canterbury, Kent, in southeast England. It is one of only seven collegiate universities in the UK. Its business school holds the prestigious triple accreditation from EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA, placing it among the top 1% of business schools worldwide. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, the University's Law and Psychology subjects were both ranked among the top 100 globally.
University of Valley Forge to Close
The University of Valley Forge, a private Christian institution in Pennsylvania founded in 1939, has announced that it will suspend academic operations at the conclusion of the Summer 2026 semester, becoming the latest casualty in a growing wave of financially distressed U.S. colleges. In a statement posted on the university's official website, the Board of Trustees said the decision came after years of efforts to stabilize the institution's finances. "This decision follows extensive efforts to address the University's financial challenges, pursue strategic partnerships, and identify sustainable paths forward. These challenges have been well documented over several decades and were reflected in the recent action of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which placed the University on Show Cause status." The Board said university personnel will remain in place to assist students with transferring to other institutions, preserve academic records, steward institutional assets, and oversee the university's remaining administrative responsibilities. The University of Valley Forge enrolled 589 students in Fall 2024, the vast majority of them undergraduates. Financial strain had been building for years. As early as fiscal year 2021, the university cited steep declines in net tuition revenue as a major factor behind its deteriorating financial position. According to its FY2021 audited financial statements—the most recent audit report the university has publicly released—its total debt had reached $30.8 million. A Growing Wave of College ClosuresThe University of Valley Forge is far from an isolated case. Across the United States, an increasing number of colleges have announced closures or mergers in recent years as they struggle with declining enrollment, rising operating costs, and persistent financial challenges. In May, Hampshire College, a private liberal arts institution with a six-decade history, announced that it would permanently close after the Fall 2026 semester, saying it no longer possessed the financial resources necessary to sustain full operations and meet its regulatory obligations. According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), 312 degree-granting institutions in the United States closed between 2008 and 2024. The outlook remains bleak. Consulting firm Huron estimates that 442 of the nation's 1,700 private nonprofit four-year colleges and universities could face closure or merger within the next decade. For students, the consequences can be profound. Although institutions typically pledge to help students transfer elsewhere, the outcomes are often far less encouraging. A SHEEO study tracking 143,000 students affected by the closure of 467 campuses between 2004 and 2020 found that only 47% successfully transferred to another institution. Among those who did transfer, only about one in three ultimately earned a degree. Demographic HeadwindsDemographic change has emerged as one of the most significant structural challenges facing American higher education. The U.S. birth rate has been declining steadily since 2007, and the number of 18-year-olds has fallen by nearly 15% over the past decade. Since 2010, overall college enrollment has dropped by approximately 2.3 million students nationwide. Shrinking enrollment, coupled with tighter government funding, has left many institutions increasingly dependent on tuition revenue. To offset mounting financial pressure, colleges have repeatedly raised tuition. Over the past three decades, tuition at U.S. colleges has nearly tripled, substantially outpacing inflation. Rising costs, however, have made higher education less affordable, further discouraging enrollment and reinforcing a cycle of declining student demand and worsening institutional finances. Layoffs Become the New NormalClosures and mergers are only part of the picture. Workforce reductions have also become an increasingly common response to financial strain. Johns Hopkins University announced plans to eliminate 2,200 positions in March 2025 and has since cut an additional 110 jobs following reductions in federal research funding. Since the beginning of 2025, the University of Southern California has eliminated more than 900 positions, while Stanford University has cut at least 363 jobs and Northwestern University has reduced its workforce by 425 positions. Meanwhile, federal policy changes could further complicate the outlook for American higher education. According to The Wall Street Journal on July 30, the Trump administration is considering imposing a $100,000 fee on international students who wish to remain in the United States for employment after graduation. Beginning in September, a new student visa policy is also expected to take effect, limiting most international students to a maximum stay of four years. If implemented, these measures could further weaken international demand for U.S. higher education at a time when many institutions are already grappling with declining domestic enrollment. For colleges that have long relied on international students to offset demographic decline at home, the challenges ahead may become even more daunting.
UC San Diego Lands $1.8 Billion Awards
Nearly $1.8 billion in research awards places UC San Diego among the strongest performers in US research funding, but the figures also highlight an emerging reality for universities: fewer grants, higher stakes and growing competition for strategic investment. While many US universities are bracing for an increasingly uncertain research funding environment, the University of California San Diego has reported one of the strongest years in its history for sponsored research. The institution secured $1.8 billion in research awards during fiscal year 2026, with federal agencies accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total. Yet behind the headline figure lies a trend that research leaders say is becoming increasingly familiar across the sector: universities are winning fewer awards overall, but those they do secure are significantly larger and more strategically focused. UC San Diego received 1,746 new awards, down from 1,925 the previous year, even as total award value increased. Federal funding rose 19 per cent year on year, representing 62 per cent of all sponsored research. The pattern reflects a research landscape in which governments, philanthropic organisations and industry are concentrating resources on larger, multidisciplinary projects designed to address national priorities ranging from biomedical innovation to artificial intelligence, climate resilience and advanced manufacturing. "In a time of disruption and uncertainty, these awards and the outcomes they generate reflect why sustained public and private investment in university research remains so important to discovery, economic growth and America's long-term leadership in innovation," said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. For research-intensive universities, the changing funding profile presents both opportunities and challenges. Large awards provide institutions with the resources to pursue ambitious, long-term research agendas, but they also demand increasingly sophisticated collaboration across disciplines, stronger institutional research support and greater administrative capacity. Corinne Peek-Asa, UC San Diego's vice chancellor for research and innovation, said the university's latest results demonstrate its ability to compete successfully for these larger awards. "The increase in award dollars suggests that UC San Diego researchers are winning larger, highly competitive awards, even as the total number of new awards has declined slightly," she said. The university's largest awards illustrate where many of today's research investments are being directed. One of the biggest projects is a $25.8 million award from the US Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop a fully functional 3D bioprinted human liver using patients' own cells. Led by engineering professor Shaochen Chen, the initiative combines expertise in bioengineering, regenerative medicine, surgery, imaging and artificial intelligence, reflecting the growing emphasis on convergence research. Another major award demonstrates how universities are increasingly expected to generate social as well as scientific impact. UC San Diego's Refugee School Impact programme received $19.7 million from the California Department of Social Services to coordinate educational and community support for refugee and newcomer families across the state through 2028. Meanwhile, the university's Scripps Institution of Oceanography secured $15 million from the Fund for Science and Technology, established through the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, to expand ocean observation capabilities in poorly monitored regions. The project combines environmental DNA analysis with next-generation Deep Argo technologies to improve understanding of climate-driven changes in the world's oceans. Taken together, the projects reveal another defining characteristic of contemporary research funding: the growing diversity of sponsors. While federal agencies remain the dominant source of support, major investments increasingly come from state governments, philanthropic foundations and private-sector partners, creating a more complex but potentially more resilient funding ecosystem. Beyond these flagship awards, UC San Diego also expanded research in election integrity, substance-use disorders, neuroscience and clean-energy technologies. During FY2026, the university managed 5,591 active awards, spanning disciplines from political science and public health to astrophysics and nanoengineering. The results arrive at a pivotal moment for US higher education. Universities are facing heightened competition for federal grants while responding to evolving national priorities in health security, AI, energy transition and economic competitiveness. Success increasingly depends not simply on research excellence, but on the capacity to assemble interdisciplinary teams capable of addressing large-scale societal challenges. UC San Diego's latest figures therefore tell a story that extends well beyond one institution. They suggest that, even in a constrained funding environment, research universities with established strengths in collaboration, translational science and cross-sector partnerships remain well positioned to attract substantial investment. At the same time, the decline in the number of awards serves as a reminder that competition for research funding is becoming more concentrated, raising the stakes for universities seeking to sustain both research capacity and global competitiveness.
Zhejiang University Ranks No. 1 Globally
Recently, the Nature Index website released its latest institutional rankings, based on data collected from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. In this edition of the rankings, nine of the world's top 10 universities are from China. Zhejiang University ranked first globally with a total article share of 1,250.06. Harvard University placed second worldwide, making it the only non-Chinese institution in the global top 10. Tsinghua University ranked third, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Peking University, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Fudan University also secured places among the world's top 10 universities. Among the top 100 universities worldwide, 54 are from China and 28 are from the United States. Overall, 4,563 universities were included in the rankings, with 1,252 institutions from China, 931 from the United States, 669 from India, and 332 from Japan. The results highlight the strong presence and growing dominance of Asian universities in global research output.
WorldHE NS Watch: Harvard Publishes Four NS Papers for Three Consecutive Weeks
As global competition in scientific research continues to intensify, publication output in Nature and Science has become one of the most important indicators of a university's research excellence, capacity for original innovation, and international academic influence. WorldHE continuously tracks both the latest weekly and rolling 12-month Nature and Science publication data from universities worldwide, providing a dynamic view of the evolving global higher education and research landscape. Click to access the complete university NS publication data. Global University NS Publications: July 20–26, 2026A total of 41 universities worldwide published papers in Nature or Science during the past week. The United States and China Mainland each accounted for 12 universities, putting them well ahead of all other countries and regions and highlighting their continued dominance in high-impact scientific research. Harvard University once again stood out, publishing four NS papers—three in Nature and one in Science. Harvard was listed as both the first-author and corresponding-author institution on all four papers. The research covered a broad range of frontier topics, including tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), AI-redesigned proteases, quantum paraelectric nanodomains, and language diversity. Notably, Harvard has now published four NS papers every week for three consecutive weeks, from July 6 through July 26, underscoring the university's exceptional consistency and sustained research leadership. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences published three Nature papers, further strengthening the research presence of universities in China Mainland. Peking University, the University of British Columbia, Southeast University (China), the University of Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Yale University each published two NS papers during the week. Global University NS Rankings: July 26, 2025–July 26, 2026Looking at the past 12 months, 69 universities worldwide have published at least 10 papers in Nature or Science, highlighting the increasingly intense competition among the world's leading research institutions. Among the Top 10 universities by combined Nature and Science output, the United States accounts for five universities, China Mainland for three, and the United Kingdom for two, forming the current top tier of global research excellence. Harvard University remains the clear global leader with 142 papers, including 91 in Nature and 51 in Science. Harvard was the corresponding-author institution on 138 papers, meaning Harvard researchers served as corresponding authors on nearly every publication. The figures demonstrate the university's remarkable capacity to lead high-impact research independently. MIT and Stanford University each published 97 NS papers, tying for second place. Together with Harvard, the three institutions form an elite research cluster approaching the 100-paper milestone. The University of California, Berkeley ranked fourth with 64 NS papers. Although its total output trails the top three, Berkeley is the only university in the global top 10 to publish more Science papers (35) than Nature papers (29), reflecting its long-established strengths in astrophysics, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, a university in China Mainland, ranked fifth globally with 55 papers, making it the highest-ranked non-U.S. institution. The University of Cambridge ranked sixth with 48 papers, followed by Tsinghua University in seventh with 46 papers. Peking University, the University of Oxford, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) completed the global top 10. A New Global Research Landscape Takes ShapeBeyond the very top of the rankings, the United States continues to dominate global Nature and Science publishing. Of the 30 universities worldwide with more than 20 NS papers, 18 are based in the United States. Universities including the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Washington Seattle, Princeton University, Cornell University, and Yale University each consistently produced around 30 NS papers, demonstrating the depth and resilience of the U.S. research ecosystem. Universities in China Mainland have firmly established themselves as the second major force in global top-journal publishing. A total of 13 universities in China Mainland have published more than 10 NS papers over the past year, with overall output significantly surpassing that of traditional research powers such as the United Kingdom and Germany. This sustained performance is supported by China's continued investment in research and development, with China ranking second globally in R&D expenditure. Europe continues to maintain a broad and diverse research ecosystem, with universities across the continent making important contributions to Nature and Science. However, Europe still lacks a single institution capable of matching the publication scale and research leadership of Harvard or MIT. The latest data suggest that the global center of scientific research is shifting from a U.S.–Europe bipolar model toward a landscape led primarily by the United States and China, with Europe serving as a strong complementary force. MethodologyFor Nature, only publications classified as Article and Review Article were included. For Science, the analysis includes Research Article, Special-Issue Research Article, and Review. Only the physically affiliated first author was counted as the first author. All corresponding-author affiliations were included, with each affiliated institution counted once. If the first-author institution and the corresponding-author institution were the same, the publication was counted only once for that institution. Only formally published articles were included in the analysis. Advance online publications and papers in pre-publication status were excluded.
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