Overview

• Oxford retains No. 1 for a tenth consecutive year; MIT is second, Princeton ties Cambridge for third and Imperial ranks eighth.
• U.S. representation in the top 500 falls to 102 universities, the lowest on record, with many institutions posting their weakest positions.
• The UK counts just 49 universities in the top 500 for the first time since 2016, even as Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial hold firm in the global top 10.
• Australia gains ground with six universities in the top 100: Melbourne leads at 37, Sydney climbs to 53 and UNSW to 79, while Queensland slips to 80.
• India expands its presence without a top‑100 entrant, with IISc in the 201–250 band, as East Asia consolidates standing with five Chinese universities in the top 40 and a record six from Hong Kong in the top 200.