Global University Rankings 2013

 Click here to view entire rankings

After months of extensive research involving the survey of 1100 institutes, 6500 recruiters and thousands of students, Youth Inc reveals the top 100 universities in the world for undergraduate study

An exercise in ranking the best higher education institutes of the world is no mean task. Information gathering in itself is an exhaustive exercise, while number-crunching and analysing gives meaning to the massive raw data. The aim of the Youth Incorporated, Education Times and Rediff.com Global University Rankings 2013 through this sophisticated exercise is to identify and ascertain the universities in the world that are fulfilling their commitment to provide quality education. The study was conducted over several months using research and survey inputs from thousands of people in more than 50 countries. We have brought together a large group of responses from not just institutes but also from current students. Additionally, feedback from 6,500 known recruiters on their experience of recruiting graduates from the institutes has greatly enhanced the survey. Thus, the universities were ranked using the responses of three indigenous groups based on factors that include financial aid, campus facilities, diversity of students, career prospects and more. The survey also allowed us to go one step further and provide you with more specialised rankings which take into account individual factors such as campus facilities, value for money and exchange programmes that come into play when picking a university. We have also ranked the best universities based on regional distribution and have provided separate rankings of the best institutes in study streams such as engineering, the arts, management and the sciences.

What’s Changed From 2011-2012?
Our last survey conducted in 2011- 2012 allows for a comparison which can be seen in the rankings. While it would be expected that the top 10 rankers of any list would remain consistent over time, our results show a shift in the top 10 of the global rankings within the space of a year.
Not only have the top 10 shifted spots, one among the top 3 has given way to another institute. While Harvard University and Stanford University have retained their positions of number 1 and 2 respectively, the previously thirdranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology has slipped down to four to make way for University of Pennsylvania. The rest of the top 10
seems to be similar, barring Imperial College London which makes way for the addition of Princeton University.
On a quick glance, it is apparent that the United States dominates in the realm of higher education. The only non-American university in the top 10 is Oxford which has also seen a drop in rank from our previous survey.

The Indian Angle
The Indian contingent on the list seems to be on the rise – four Indian institutes have made it to the top 100, as opposed to only one in our 2011-2012 ranking effort. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Mumbai has moved up to 19 from its previous position at 31. Accompanying it are IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur and the University of Delhi which rank at 27, 79 and 99 respectively. We believe that the educational reforms being implemented in the country are responsible for the increasing visibility of Indian higher education institutes in our global ranking exercise.
That said, our rankings also reflect that institutes other than the IITs are not competent enough to feature with the world’s best institutes, a revelation that should be an impetus to take a long, hard look at the state of higher education in India.
Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged the dismal state of higher education in the country. “We must recognise that too many of our higher educational institutions are simply not up to the mark,” he said. Four Indian institutes have made it to the Top 100 list, which is an improvement from last year’s ranking. However, three of those institutes are IITs, making us  question the absence of other universities“Too many of them have simply not kept abreast with the rapid changes that have taken place in the world around us in recent years, still producing graduates in subjects that the job market no longer requires.”
In addition, President Pranab Mukherjee encouraged private players to enter the education sector and contribute towards its improvement. However, a study conducted by IDFC indicates that despite such efforts, the higher education sector in India remains “over regulated and under governed”. Pending education bills, restrictive regulations and cumbersome laws are some roadblocks that discourage private sector involvement. The study also suggests that autonomy practised with accountability could be a possible solution to this mess.

Youth Inc analyses universities across the world with inputs from students, faculty and recruiters to bring you a detailed list of the top 100 institutes for undergraduate courses

Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged the dismal state of higher education in the country. “We must recognise that too many of our higher educational institutions are simply not up to the mark,” he said

Four Indian institutes have made it to the Top 100 list, which is an improvement from last year’s ranking.
However, three of those institutes are IITs, making us question the absence of other universities

 

 

 

 

 

Top 100 Universities

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY SCORE 2011-12 RANK
1 Harvard University USA 100 1
2 Stanford University USA 99.8 2
3 University of Pennsylvania USA 99.7 7
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA 99.5 3
5 University of Oxford UK 99.4 4
6 University of Chicago USA 99.3 5
7 Yale University USA 99.2 6
8 Columbia University USA 99.1 8
9 Princeton University USA 99 11
10 Cornell University USA 98.9 10
11 University of Cambridge UK 98.7 18
12 California Institute of Technology USA 98.4 12
13 Imperial College London UK 98.2 9
14 Brown University USA 98.1 24
15 University of Waterloo Canada 97.6 NEW
16 London School of Economics UK 97.4 20
17 University of Tokyo Japan 97.2 17
18 Northwestern University USA 97 14
19 Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai India 96.7 31
20 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor USA 96.5 15
21 University of California, Los Angeles USA 96.3 23
22 Carnegie Mellon University USA 96 22
23 New York University USA 95.9 25
24 University of Melbourne Australia 95.7 19
25 École Normale Supérieure France 95.5 21
26 National University of Singapore Singapore 95.3 29
27 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India 95.2 NEW
28 Duke University USA 95 28
29 IE University Spain 94.9 37
30 Chinese University of Hong Kong China 94.7 27
31 University of California, Berkeley USA 94.6 30
32 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Germany 94.3 32
33 Hong Kong University of Science & Tech China 94.2 35
34 Johns Hopkins University USA 94.1 34
35 Emory University USA 94 33
36 École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Switzerland 93.9 36
37 University College London UK 93.7 26
38 Dartmouth College USA 93.6 41
39 University of Virginia USA 93.4 43
40 University of Copenhagen Denmark 93.1 38
41 Universidade de São Paulo Brazil 92.6 47
42 University of Zürich Switzerland 92.5 39
43 Kings College, London UK 92.3 40
44 Rice University USA 92 44
45 University of Texas at Austin USA 91.5 45
46 University of British Columbia Canada 91.1 42
47 Peking University China 91 52
48 Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Chile 90.9 48
49 Universität Heidelberg Germany 90.7 50
50 Technische Universität München Germany 90.5 53
51 University of Helsinki Finland 90.2 51
52 University of Sydney Australia 90.1 46
53 HEC France 89 55
54 Vanderbilt University USA 88.7 49
55 Universidad de Buenos Aires Argentina 88.3 56
56 Nanyang Technological University Singapore 88.1 61
57 Fudan University China 87.9 69
58 Australian National University Australia 87.6 58
59 Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan 87.3 66
60 Seoul National University South Korea 87.1 60
61 University of Southern California USA 87 57
62 University of Warwick UK 86.6 75
63 University of Wisconsin Madison USA 86.2 62
64 École Polytechnique France 86 71
65 Monash University Australia 85 67
66 University of Birmingham UK 84 NEW
67 Erasmus University Rotterdam Netherlands 83 70
68 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico 82 68
69 University of New South Wales Australia 81.5 59
70 University of Edinburgh UK 81 64
71 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill USA 80 65
72 University of Auckland New Zealand 79.7 76
73 Tohoku University Japan 79.5 73
74 Tsinghua University China 79 72
75 Uppsala University Sweden 78.6 74
76 Georgia Institute of Technology USA 78.3 82
77 University of Queensland Australia 78 77
78 National Taiwan University Taiwan 77.8 78
79 Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur India 77.5 NEW
80 University of Rochester USA 77 84
81 University of Groningen Netherlands 76.9 80
82 University of Bern Switzerland 76.3 81
83 University of Adelaide Australia 76 83
84 University of Surrey UK 75 NEW
85 Paris Dauphine University France 74.5 85
86 Ecole Centrale de Paris France 74 88
87 Stockholm University Sweden 73 91
88 Tel Aviv University Israel 72 100
89 University of Washington USA 71 89
90 University of Amsterdam Netherlands 70 86
91 University of York UK 69 94
92 Washington University St.Louis USA 68.7 87
93 University of Pittsburg Bradford USA 68.5 NEW
94 Pompeu Fabra University Spain 68 98
95 University of Sciences Philadelphia USA 67.5 NEW
96 Purdue University USA 67 92
97 Heriot-Watt University UK 66 NEW
98 Bradley University USA 65 NEW
99 University of Delhi India 64.5 NEW
100 Grenoble Ecole de Management France 64 NEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top US Universities

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Harvard University USA
2 Stanford University USA
3 University of Pennsylvania USA
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA
5 University of Chicago USA
6 Yale University USA
7 Columbia University USA
8 Princeton University USA
9 Cornell University USA
10 California Institute of Technology USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top European Universities

RANK   NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1   University of Oxford UK
2   University of Cambridge UK
3   Imperial College London UK
4   London School of Economics UK
5   École Normale Supérieure France
6   IE University Spain
7   Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Germany
8
  École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Switzerland
9   University College London UK
10   University of Copenhagen Denmark

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Asian Universities

RANK   NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1   University of Tokyo Japan
2   Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai India
3   National University of Singapore Singapore
4   Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India
5   Chinese University of Hong Kong China
6   Hong Kong University of Science & Tech China
7   Peking University China
8
  Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
9   Fudan University China
10   Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Australian Universities

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 University of Melbourne Australia
2 University of Sydney Australia
3 Australian National University Australia
4 Monash University Australia
5 University of New South Wales Australia
6 University of Queensland Australia
7 University of Adelaide Australia

 

TOP UNIVERSITIES IN/FOR

Business Programmes

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Harvard University USA
2 Stanford University USA
3 National University of Singapore Singapore
4 University of Cambridge UK
5 University of Oxford UK
6 Columbia University USA
7 London School of Economics UK
8 IE University Spain
9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA
10 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor USA

 

Engineering Programmes

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 California Institute of Technology USA
2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA
3 Stanford University USA
4 Imperial College London UK
5 National University of Singapore Singapore
6 University of Oxford UK
7 Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai India
8 Columbia University USA
9 Cornell University USA
10 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India

 

Arts & Humanities

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Harvard University USA
2 University of Cambridge UK
3 Stanford University USA
4 Princeton University USA
5 Yale University USA
6 University of Oxford UK
7 National University of Singapore Singapore
8 University of Tokyo Japan
9 Columbia University USA
10 University of Waterloo Canada

 

Life Sciences & Medicine

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Harvard University USA
2 University of Cambridge UK
3 Johns Hopkins University USA
4 Stanford University USA
5 Yale University USA
6 University of Oxford UK
7 University of Californias, Berkeley USA
8 Imperial College London UK
9 Cornell University USA
10 University of Waterloo Canada

 

Pure Sciences

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA
2 Harvard University USA
3 University of Cambridge UK
4 Stanford University USA
5 Princeton University USA
6 University of Oxford UK
7 National University Singapore Singapore
8 Yale University USA
9 Cornell University USA
10 University of Tokyo Japan

 

Best Value for Money

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 National University of Singapore Singapore
2 Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai India
3 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India
4 University of Waterloo Canada
5 Yale University USA
6 Universität Heidelberg Germany
7 Cornell University USA
8 Hong Kong University of Science & Tech China
9 Columbia University USA
10 Brown University USA

 

Student Satisfaction

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Harvard University USA
2 Stanford University USA
3 Columbia University USA
4 Brown University USA
5 University of Pennsylvania USA
6 University of Oxford UK
7 École Normale Supérieure France
8 University of Cambridge UK
9 Princeton University USA
10 London School of Economics UK

 

Recruiter Satisfaction

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Stanford University USA
2 Harvard University USA
3 University of Pennsylvania USA
4 Carnegie Mellon University USA
5 Brown University USA
6 Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai India
7 Hong Kong University of Science & Tech China
8 University of Waterloo Canada
9 University of Oxford UK
10 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India

 

Campus Facilities

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA
2 Columbia University USA
3 Cornell University USA
4 Princeton University USA
5 University of Oxford UK
6 University of Cambridge UK
7 California Institute of Technology USA
8 Duke University USA
9 Dartmouth College USA
10 IE University Spain

 

Innovation in Teaching Methodologies

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Stanford University USA
2 Harvard University USA
3 London School of Economics UK
4 Brown University USA
5 Northwestern University USA
6 Dartmouth College USA
7 IE University Spain
8 Columbia University USA
9 École Normale Supérieure France
10 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Germany

 

Career Services

RANK NAME OF INSTITUTION COUNTRY
1 Harvard University USA
2 Stanford University USA
3 University of Pennsylvania USA
4 Columbia University USA
5 Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai India
6 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India
7 Carnegie Mellon University USA
8 National University of Singapore Singapore
9 University of California, Berkeley USA
10 Dartmouth College USA

 

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Youth Inc’s research unit calibrated extensive data from a variety of source, which was then analysed to ascertain the top performing institutes of 2013.

We chose institutes across the world after having discussions with thousands of students, recruiters and faculty. Youth Inc’s Research Unit (YRU) also studied domestic rankings in various countries to find the best institutes.  We sent survey links to 1,100 institutes and provided them with unique codes so that they could submit their responses online. Current students of the institutes were asked to specify the stream they were studying and then rate specific statements which were pertaining to the factors considered in this ranking. Several institutes directly contacted their current students and recruiters and  asked them to take part in our survey.
Over 6,500 recruiters were sent emails with the survey link. The recruiter list was prepared from the responses of the institutes and also included internationally well-known recruiters. Below are the factors we considered and the overall weightage assigned to them:
♦Careers, recruitment and industry viability of students – 55%
♦Diversity and international outlook – 10%
♦Innovation – 10%
♦Campus, extracurricular activities, exchange programmes – 15%
♦Money, student satisfaction – 10%

Career, Recruitment and Industry Viability of Student – 55%
This category significantly impacts the overall score of an institute since it is the most weighted factor. One of the most important criteria to select institutes is the student’s industry viability after graduation.  Recruiters were asked to list and rate the institutes that they were most likely to recruit from. They were asked the likelihood of recruiting again from the same institute and their satisfaction with the institute’s careers cell. Recruiters rated students on various factors including analytical and problem solving skills, leadership potential, communication and interpersonal skills and so on.
Institutes and students were also asked about the availability and functioning of a career services cell on campus and how active such a service was. We also considered what percentage of students were actually placed, both domestically and internationally, through the institute’s career services cell. Students also
reported the availability and ease of obtaining internships.

Diversity and International Outlook – 10%
This category looks not only at diversity of faculty but also at diversity of students in the classroom. The international outlook includes international students that are attracted and retained by the institute. Institutes were asked to report the total number of students on campus and what percentage of the students were international and speak two or more languages. Gender diversity of the students was considered. Institutes also reported the percentage of the faculty that were international, hold a doctorate degree and accredited with their own publishing material along with the gender diversity of the faculty.
Students were asked to rate the student and faculty diversity in their class.

Innovation – 10%
This category looks at how innovatively programmes are constructed and taught and how faculty engage the students – an important factor in the overall
perception of an institute. We considered the different ways in which an institute constructs programmes. Institutes were asked to select from a list of different teaching methodologies that we considered innovative – some of these included
company visits, dual or multiple majors and course collaborations between different departments at the institute. Our list was made after surveying students across different campuses worldwide.
Students were asked to report how satisfied they are with faculty who use innovative ways to teach subjects.

Campus, Extracurricular Activities, Exchange Programmes – 15%
This category considers the support students receive on campus and the availability of extracurricular activities. The exchange programmes offered by the institute and how actively students are encouraged to opt for such programmes was also considered. We asked institutes to indicate the different types of assistance provided by the student office or a similar body on campus. Our initial list was made after surveying students across different campuses worldwide. Students reported if they were encouraged by the institute to participate in different extracurricular activities on campus.
Institutes were asked to report the percentage of students that opted for exchange programmes. We also considered the exchange students present on the institute’s campus.

Money, Student Satisfaction – 10%
This category takes into account a critical part of education today – finances. And more importantly, how satisfied a student is with the institute. We considered students’ opinions on whether a particular institute was perceived as ‘value for money’. We also asked institutes to state the percentage of students who received some sort of funding from the institutes.
Students were asked to rate their institutes on various factors including attitude  of staff and professors, location, course content and so on and institutes were asked to report the graduation rate of students enrolled and what percentage of students transfer out of the institution.

Scores
We calculated the standard deviation and standard scores (Z-scores) so that we could combine and analyse the data with more accuracy and reliability. Below is a summary of the factors and the weightage given to each factor when we ranked the institutes. Each factor was made up of a set of questions. The total  percentage attributed to that factor was based on the average score of the responses multiplied by the assigned weightage. The total scores were then sorted from highest to lowest. The institute with the highest score was ranked first.

Not Just Numbers
After we calculated the total computed scores for the institutes, we subjectively analysed the data provided by the institutes, current students and recruiters. If we found discrepancies in the satisfaction scores and the subjective descriptions, we omitted the data.

Missing Data
In a few rare occasions, some institutes did not supply data for all the questions in the survey. When data was missing, which affected factors which were low-weighted such as value for money or campus support, we entered an estimate between the average and the lowest value reported by the institute. By following such a practice we did not excessively penalise an institution with a ‘zero’ for data that it could not provide. At the same time, the institute was not rewarded.

Exclusion of Institutes
Only institutes that offered undergraduate programmes were included in the ranking. Hence, some institutes were disqualified from our ranking because they reported data pertaining to graduate programmes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutes that did not fill out the Survey Reports on Time
Of the 1,100 institutes that were contacted, 23 per cent of the institutes did not complete the survey on time or did not respond. We used publicly available information on some of these institutes to include them in our ranking. We also contacted current students and recruiters of these institutes and compared the data we received with the data from institutes that participated in our survey.

 

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