The World's Fastest-Rising Universities Revealed
Recently, U.S. News and QS released their latest annual global university rankings. The U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings cover 2,250 institutions across more than 100 countries and territories, while the QS World University Rankings evaluate over 1,500 universities from 106 countries and regions. WorldHE has compiled the year-on-year ranking changes among the top 500 universities worldwide in both rankings. According to the rankings, among the U.S. News Top 500 universities, Pakistan's University of Lahore recorded the largest improvement, rising 109 places from 588th last year to 479th globally. Argentina's University of Buenos Aires also made remarkable progress, climbing 103 places to 348th worldwide. Other notable movers include Nigeria's University of Ibadan, which advanced 96 places; China Mainland's Peking Union Medical College, up 90 places; the UK's Liverpool John Moores University, up 82 places; and Spain's University of Seville and Malaysia's Sunway University, both of which improved by 81 places. Among the highly competitive global top 100 universities, China Mainland's Fudan University rose 21 places to enter the global top 50. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) climbed 19 places to 82nd globally, while Australia's University of Adelaide improved by 14 places. In the QS Top 500 universities, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) recorded the largest gain, soaring from 519th last year to 266th globally—an impressive rise of 253 places. SUTD is Singapore's fourth public university, founded with Professor Thomas L. Magnanti, former Dean of Engineering at MIT, serving as its inaugural president. The university continues to maintain a close strategic partnership with MIT. The Education University of Hong Kong climbed 124 places to 406th globally. Malaysia's INTI International University and Singapore's Singapore Management University (SMU) also improved by more than 100 places compared with last year. Among the highly competitive global top 100 universities, University College Dublin posted the strongest improvement, rising from 118th last year to 100th. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Nanjing University also made significant gains, climbing 14 and 13 places, respectively.
MIT Tops QS World Rankings for 15th Straight Year
The international higher education research organization QS Quacquarelli Symonds today officially released the QS World University Rankings 2027. The 2027 QS World University Rankings evaluated more than 1,500 universities from 106 countries and territories, highlighting the intensifying global competition among institutions in Europe, North America, and Asia. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top position for the 15th consecutive year. Imperial College London and Stanford University shared second place. The University of Oxford and Harvard University ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Other institutions in the global top 10 included the University of Cambridge, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), ETH Zurich, UCL, and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Among the world's top 100 universities, University College Dublin recorded the most significant improvement, rising from 118th place last year to 100th. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Nanjing University also made notable gains, climbing 14 and 13 places, respectively, compared with last year. Regional HighlightsUnited States The United States remains the world's most prominent higher education system, with 184 universities ranked this year (slightly down from 192 last year). Among them, 67% experienced declines in ranking, 38 remained unchanged, and 22 improved. Yale University and Johns Hopkins University returned to the global top 20, giving the U.S. nine places in the world's top 20—more than any other higher education system. The country also has the largest number of universities in both the global top 50 and top 100. Arizona State University achieved its highest-ever ranking at 172nd globally, compared with 222nd a decade ago. China Mainland With 85 ranked institutions, China Mainland has become the third-largest higher education system represented in the rankings, behind only the United States (184) and the United Kingdom (93). A total of 52 Chinese universities improved their rankings (representing 72% of previously ranked institutions), while 10 remained unchanged and 10 declined. China Mainland also led the world in the number of newly ranked institutions, with 13 universities entering the rankings for the first time. Of the 85 ranked institutions, six placed within the global top 100. Peking University rose to 13th globally, while Tsinghua University climbed three places to 14th, further consolidating their positions among the world's leading universities. Canada Although 66% of Canadian universities experienced ranking declines, McGill University maintained its position as the country's top-ranked institution for the second consecutive year. Four universities achieved their best rankings in more than a decade. However, universities elsewhere in the world have advanced more rapidly, particularly in indicators such as international student diversity, employment outcomes, international faculty ratio, and citations per faculty member. United Kingdom Thirty-one UK universities improved their rankings, while Imperial College London remained firmly in second place globally for the third consecutive year. Five British universities achieved their highest rankings ever, and the total number of ranked UK institutions increased from 90 in 2026 to 93 in 2027. Australia Fifty-eight percent of Australian universities improved their rankings. The University of New South Wales Sydney became Australia's top-ranked institution for the first time, placing 19th globally. Nearly all ranked Australian universities now perform better than they did a decade ago, with nine achieving record-high positions. The re-entry of the University of the Sunshine Coast brought Australia's total number of ranked institutions to an all-time high. Europe Italy was among the strongest-performing countries in Europe, with 56% of its 47 ranked institutions improving their positions, led by Politecnico di Milano (87th globally). Germany and France added 11 and 7 newly ranked universities, bringing their totals to 60 and 38 institutions, respectively. Spain added 10 newly ranked universities, making it the second-largest higher education system in continental Europe by number of ranked institutions. The Technical University of Munich (25th globally) and Paris Sciences et Lettres University (34th globally) were among the leading institutions in the European Union. Although 11 of the Netherlands' 13 ranked universities experienced ranking declines, the country continued to lead in average scores for International Research Network and Academic Reputation.
Top-Ranked Journals in Each JCR Category: 2026 Rankings Released
On June 17, 2026, Clarivate released the 2026 edition of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR™) on its official website. The report provides comprehensive coverage of high-quality scholarly journals and ranks them by subject category, enabling academic institutions, researchers, and publishers to evaluate the significance and influence of journals across the global research landscape. The 2026 JCR covers 254 subject categories and includes 22,643 journals. According to Clarivate, beginning with the 2025 JCR release, citations from and to retracted content are excluded from the numerator used to calculate the Journal Impact Factor (JIF), ensuring that citations associated with retracted publications do not contribute to the JIF value. However, retracted articles continue to be included in the publication count (the JIF denominator) to maintain transparency and accountability. This year, Clarivate further strengthened its commitment to Research Integrity. The previously introduced policy of excluding citations related to retracted literature has now become a standard component of JIF calculations, while quality oversight of journal selection criteria and citation practices has been further enhanced. These measures improve the rigor, transparency, and credibility of the journal evaluation system. The Journal Citation Reports includes only journals that meet the stringent quality criteria of the Web of Science Core Collection, ensuring that users can confidently rely on the information and descriptive data provided. Published annually, JCR offers a rich set of publisher-independent data, metrics, and analyses, including the widely recognized Journal Impact Factor (JIF™) and Journal Citation Indicator (JCI™), helping users better understand the scholarly impact of journals. Based on the 254 subject categories defined by the Web of Science, journals are classified by discipline and ranked according to their Journal Impact Factors. Within each category, journals are divided into four quartiles (Q1–Q4), with Q1 representing the top 25% of journals in that field. It should be noted that a journal may be assigned to multiple subject categories and may therefore receive different quartile rankings across disciplines—for example, Q1 in one category and Q2 in another. In common usage, the term “JCR quartile ranking” generally refers to the JIF-based quartile classification. The top-ranked journal in each JCR category for 2026 is listed below (the 2026 JCR reports the 2025 Journal Impact Factors).
Which Universities Have U.S. News No. 1 Subjects?
On June 16, U.S. News released the 2026–2027 Best Global Universities Rankings on its official website (full rankings: https://www.worldhe.com/article/detail/320). At the same time, U.S. News also published its 2026–2027 Best Global Universities Subject Rankings, covering 51 academic disciplines. According to the rankings, a total of 24,050 ranked subjects from 2,503 universities worldwide were included. China Mainland led by a substantial margin, with 5,413 ranked subjects from 470 universities, far ahead of the United States, which had 3,697 ranked subjects from 258 universities. The United Kingdom ranked third with 1,292 ranked subjects from 96 universities, followed by Germany with 1,057 ranked subjects from 77 universities. Among the 51 disciplines, China Mainland and the United States each had 23 subjects ranked No. 1 globally. Singapore and the United Kingdom each had two disciplines ranked first worldwide, while Hong Kong, China had one discipline ranked No. 1. In terms of institutional performance, 20 universities worldwide held at least one globally top-ranked subject. Harvard University led the way with 18 No. 1 subjects, followed by Tsinghua University with 10. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences had three top-ranked subjects, while China Agricultural University, Peking University, and the University of Oxford each had two. Another 14 universities had one globally top-ranked subject each. Looking at overall subject performance, 53 universities from China Mainland placed 204 subjects in the global Top 10, significantly outperforming the United States (162 subjects) and the United Kingdom (47 subjects). Chinese universities demonstrated particularly strong competitiveness in traditional STEM fields such as engineering, materials science, chemistry, and energy, while U.S. institutions maintained leadership in life sciences, medicine, humanities, and social sciences. At the institutional level, Harvard University had 26 subjects ranked in the global Top 10, spanning nearly all major life science and medical disciplines, underscoring its dominance in these fields. Stanford University and Tsinghua University each had 22 subjects in the global Top 10, while Zhejiang University had 21, highlighting the strength of their leading disciplines. In addition, the University of British Columbia was ranked in all 51 subjects covered by the rankings. Zhejiang University, Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Monash University, Ghent University, University of New South Wales, and the University of Melbourne each had 50 subjects ranked, demonstrating exceptional breadth and overall disciplinary strength.
Harvard Tops U.S. News Global University Rankings
On June 16, U.S. News released the 2026–2027 Best Global Universities Rankings on its official website. These institutions from the United States and more than 100 other countries and regions were ranked based on 13 indicators measuring their academic research performance, as well as their global and regional reputations. Among the ranked institutions, China Mainland had the largest representation, with 409 universities included in the rankings. The United States followed with 275 universities, while India had 126 universities on the list. Among the top 100 universities worldwide, the United States had 39 institutions, China Mainland had 11, and both the United Kingdom and Australia had 9 each. Within the global top 10, the United States accounted for six universities, the United Kingdom for three, and China Mainland for one. Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge retained their positions from the 2025–2026 rankings, remaining ranked No. 1 through No. 5, respectively. Tsinghua University rose from 11th place last year to 6th place, marking a significant improvement. The other universities in the global top 10 were University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, University College London (UCL), and Columbia University. Looking at the highest-ranked university in each country or region, Harvard University ranked first in the United States, University of Oxford ranked first in the United Kingdom, and Tsinghua University ranked first in Mainland China.
Penn President Larry Jameson to Step Down in 2027
Recently, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn President Larry Jameson will step down as planned from his role at the helm of the University in June 2027. Jameson was named Penn’s interim president in December 2023 following the resignation of former Penn President Liz Magill, which came amid national criticism of the University’s response to antisemitism on campus and her remarks at a congressional hearing. Jameson served—first in an interim capacity and then as Penn’s 10th permanent president—throughout a prolonged period of campus turmoil, administrative turnover, and federal scrutiny. During his term, the former executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System was seen as a stabilizing force by many in the campus community. When Jameson assumed the role of permanent president in March 2025, his term was set to end on June 30, 2027. In a separate email to the Penn community, Board Chair Raghavendran explained that the Board “respects his decision” and will “begin the comprehensive process” of identifying Penn’s next president, who will assume office on July 1, 2027. “Dr. Jameson stepped in at a pivotal moment, and what he has accomplished in two and a half years has been simply extraordinary,” Raghavendran wrote. “His work is far from finished.” He added that the remaining time in Jameson’s term would be devoted to expanding Penn Forward initiatives and broadening Penn’s “geographic reach and impact.” About Larry Jameson J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, was named President of the University of Pennsylvania in March 2025 after serving as Interim President since December 2023. He previously led Penn Medicine as Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine beginning July 1, 2011. Dr. Jameson also holds the title of Trustees University Professor at Penn. Before joining Penn Medicine, Dr. Jameson served for four years as Dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Northwestern University. He first joined Northwestern University Medical School in 1993, as Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine. In 2000, he was named Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Jameson received his medical degree with honors and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1981. He completed clinical training in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Before leaving for Northwestern University, he rose through the ranks at Harvard Medical School to become an associate professor of medicine and chief of the Thyroid Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. An accomplished physician-scientist, Dr. Jameson has pioneered studies of the genetic basis of hormonal disorders, and he is the author of more than 350 scientific articles and chapters. He is an editor of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, the most widely used textbook of Internal Medicine. His research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, Science, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He has served as president of The Endocrine Society and Association of American Physicians, and chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Medical Colleges. Dr. Jameson has received many distinguished awards, including the Van Meter Award from the American Thyroid Association, the Koch Award from The Endocrine Society, and the Sheen Award from the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Jameson is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
Weekly Analysis: Harvard Leads Nature and Science Research Output
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 June 1 to June 7, 2026, a total of 22 universities ranked within the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings published papers in Nature and Science. These 22 universities were from the United States (9), China (3), Canada (3), the United Kingdom (2), as well as Switzerland (1), Germany (1), Belgium (1), Japan (1), and South Korea (1). Among them, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University each published 2 papers in either Nature or Science. Expanding the time frame to January 1–June 7, 2026, a total of 121 universities ranked within the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings had published papers in Nature and Science. These included 38 U.S. universities, maintaining their dominant position at the core of global scientific output, while 19 U.K. universities and 14 Chinese universities firmly secured leading positions in the second tier. Among these 121 universities, 22 institutions published 10 or more papers. Harvard University ranked first with 51 papers, including 36 in Nature and 15 in Science, while also leading globally in Nature publications. Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed closely with 42 papers, including 30 in Nature and 12 in Science. Stanford University published 38 papers and led the world in Science publications with 17 papers. Peking University (26 papers), University of Cambridge (23 papers), Tsinghua University (23 papers), University of California, Berkeley (20 papers), Fudan University (16 papers), University of California, Los Angeles (16 papers), and the University of Science and Technology of China (16 papers) each published 15 or more papers, forming the second tier. Other universities with 10 or more Nature and Science papers included the University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, Zhejiang University, University of Washington, Cornell University, Princeton University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and New York University. The Nature and Science output of these 22 universities accounted for half of all publications produced by QS top 200 universities, demonstrating that global research resources and high-impact scientific achievements are becoming increasingly concentrated among elite institutions. Among them, 14 U.S. universities published a combined total of 278 papers, 6 Chinese universities published 106 papers, and 2 U.K. universities published 37 papers. Although the average output of top U.S. universities remains higher than that of Chinese institutions, Chinese universities have demonstrated a clear trend of collective breakthroughs in top-tier journals. Below is the list of QS top 200 universities that published 4 or more papers in Nature and Science between January 1 and June 7, 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 June 7, 2026.
8 University Scholars Win 2026 Kavli Prize
On June 10 (local time), the recipients of the 2026 Kavli Prizes in Astrophysics, Nanoscience, and Neuroscience were announced by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, honoring groundbreaking scientific discoveries. The Kavli Prize is widely recognized as one of the world's most prestigious international awards in science. This year, ten scientists representing nine nationalities from three continents have been honored for research that has expanded our understanding of the vast, the minute, and the complex. Laureates in each prize category will share an award of USD 1 million. The 2026 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics is awarded to Vasily Belokurov, Amina Helmi, and Rodrigo Ibata for uncovering fossil evidence of past galactic mergers, demonstrating that the Milky Way was formed through hierarchical accretion. The 2026 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience is awarded to Eva Y. Andrei, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, and Allan H. MacDonald for their pioneering contributions that established the field of twistronics. The 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience is awarded to Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, Erin Schuman, and Oswald Steward for discovering local protein translation in neurons and establishing its critical role in brain development and neural plasticity. The awardees are affiliated with leading institutions including the University of Cambridge, the University of Groningen, the University of Strasbourg, Rutgers University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, and the University of California, Irvine. Among these institutions, the University of Cambridge is represented by two laureates. “Honoring these outstanding scientists is not only a recognition of achievement; it is an investment in our shared future, affirming the curiosity, rigor, and courage that drive human progress,” said Annelin Eriksen, President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The complete list of laureates is shown below: About the Kavli PrizesThe vision for the Kavli Prize originated with Fred Kavli, a Norwegian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who transformed his lifelong passion for science into a lasting legacy that recognizes scientific breakthroughs and supports fundamental research. Established through a partnership among the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and the Kavli Foundation, the Kavli Prizes are awarded biennially to honor scientists whose breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience have transformed our understanding of the big, the small, and the complex. Laureates in each field share a prize of USD 1 million. The Kavli Prize laureates are celebrated in Oslo, Norway, at a ceremony presided over by the Norwegian Royal Family. To date, the Kavli Prizes have honored 73 scientists from 14 countries: Austria, China, Czechia, France, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Ten Kavli Prize laureates have subsequently gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.
Harvard Dethroned as Zhejiang Takes Top Spot
On June 10, Springer Nature released The Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders, revealing the leading institutions and countries/territories in the natural sciences, health sciences, applied sciences, and social sciences, based on their output in Nature Index journals in 2025. The 2026 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025. The dataset for the 2026 Research Leaders includes 125,385 primary research articles across seven subject areas. From the perspective of leading academic institutions, nine of the world’s top ten universities are from China, up from eight last year. Among the top 100, 53 universities are Chinese. China is increasingly dominating high-quality research output. Specifically, Zhejiang University has surpassed Harvard University to become the global leader. This is the first time since 2015 that Harvard has lost its top position worldwide. Alongside Zhejiang, other Chinese universities that made significant progress in 2025 institutions overall include Sichuan University in Chengdu, which entered the top 10 in tenth place with a Share of 880.9, up from 16th in last year’s ranking. Fudan University in Shanghai follows closely, ranking 11th with a Share of 872.5, up from 12th. Among the fastest-rising academic institutions, Shanghai Jiao Tong University recorded the largest increase in Share between 2024 and 2025, at 243.2, followed by Zhejiang University and Sichuan University. In contrast, Stanford University in California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the United States’ second- and third-ranked institutions, slipped further in 2025. Stanford dropped one place to 14th, and MIT fell three places to 21st. Japan has the highest-ranked institution outside China, Europe, and the United States — the University of Tokyo, in 27th place — followed by Canada, with the University of Toronto in 48th place. Meanwhile, the Research Leaders tables rank countries and territories according to their contributions to articles published in journals tracked by Nature Index. The top ten are China, the United States of America (USA), Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), Japan, France, South Korea, India, Canada, and Italy. China’s contribution rose by 22% between 2024 and 2025, far ahead of the rest of the top ten, extending the country’s lead at the top of the ranking. According to Nature Index’s annual rankings, China has continued its steep rise in research output, but there is growing evidence that other East Asian countries are also challenging major research nations in Europe and North America. Japan and South Korea, ranked fifth and seventh respectively, each posted nearly 10% growth in output according to a metric called Share, which tracks author affiliations on research articles. This represents a larger increase than higher-ranked Western peers such as the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom (see “Relative measures”).
JHU Launches $60M Fund Amid Research Cuts
Recently, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) announced that it will significantly expand financial support for faculty, students, and research teams facing federal grant terminations or delays, as well as those dealing with the broader effects of a changing research ecosystem. Through its newly established Research Resilience Fund, the university will allocate $60 million annually over the next two years to support faculty members pursuing new research or academic initiatives, as well as PhD students and postdoctoral scholars as they complete their studies. The program covers all research areas that have historically benefited from competitively awarded federal funding. The announcement comes amid a sharp decline in federal support for research, as the government moves away from the longstanding partnership with the nation’s research universities that has fueled the U.S. research enterprise for more than 80 years. According to Johns Hopkins University, the university has been the leading recipient of federal research funding every year since 1979. In fiscal year 2024, each dollar invested in research by the National Institutes of Health generated approximately $2.56 in economic activity. However, in a recent letter to the university community, JHU President Ron Daniels noted that “the total outstanding value of our multiyear federal research portfolio had declined by more than $500 million in calendar year 2025. This was due in part to our receiving 43% less in federal research funding and 28% fewer awards than in the previous year. Unfortunately, as we approach the midpoint of 2026, these downward trends have continued unabated.” “We know it is not possible to fully replace the scale of federal research funding traditionally received at Hopkins, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars each year. But that is not to say that we are entirely without agency to mitigate the impact of this contraction in funding.” The Research Resilience Fund is being financed through budget reallocations, including savings generated through a variety of cost-reduction measures, as well as $8.5 million in research funding from the State of Maryland. Its creation expands upon the earlier Pivot and Bridge Program, which was launched in April 2025 and funded at $12.5 million annually. With the increased investment provided through the Research Resilience Fund, the university will be able to substantially increase the number of awards—42 awards were granted last year through the Pivot and Bridge Program—raise the maximum award amount to $250,000, and eliminate the requirement for matching funds from divisions or departments. Awards will be distributed through a streamlined, merit-based review process and may be used for both salary support and research activities In addition, Daniels wrote that JHU will undertake several revenue-generating and cost-saving initiatives to strengthen its capacity to support research. These measures include establishing new corporate research partnerships, expanding online and non-degree educational programs, reducing administrative expenses, pursuing solutions to curb rising employee benefit costs, identifying operational efficiencies across the research enterprise, and reducing spending on capital projects.
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