The British company QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released the seventeenth edition of QS World University Rankings - the world's most popular source of comparative information on the quality of education at popular universities in the world.
When compiling a rating, the following criteria are used:
- How high is the academic reputation of a particular university.
- What is the reputation of the university among employers.
- Is the citation index high (scientific publications are taken into account here).
- The ratio of students and learners.
- Are there many students from other countries at the university?
- The number of international employees.
We will tell you about the top ten winners, as well as which of the Russian universities became the best in the top universities of 2020.
10. University College London
From the day it was founded (February 11, 1826) and the first in England, University College London began to accept people, regardless of their social status and religious views, which was different from its main competitors - Cambridge and Oxford. Today, 18 thousand students from the UK and 150 countries of the world study at UCL.
This university offers over 675 programs for graduate students, researchers and teachers. On the account of his graduates and professors, 29 Nobel Prizes, of which more than half - for discoveries in the field of medicine.
Interesting fact: in the main UCL building, in a glass box, is stored the mummy of the spiritual, if not practical founder of the university, Jeremiah Bentham. The philosopher himself bequeathed his body to the temple of science and left orders for its storage. On solemn occasions, he even attends meetings of the Scientific Council, in which case the protocol says: "Mr. Bentham was present, but did not vote."
9. University of Chicago
One of the best foreign universities in 2020 has a brilliant reputation for its professional schools, including the Pritzker School of Medicine, Booth School of Business and Harris School of Public Policy Studies.
Today, about 16 thousand students study at the University of Chicago, a quarter of whom are foreigners.
Interesting fact: the campus houses a sculpture by Henry Miller called Nuclear Energy. It was created in honor of the 25th anniversary of the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction. These works ultimately led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
8. Imperial College London
The four pillars on which this university stands are science, business, medicine and engineering. Education in it is closely connected with studies that put students in the face of real problems without simple answers.
And the focus on the practical application of research - especially in solving global problems - and the high level of interdisciplinary cooperation make education in the ICL extremely effective.
Interesting fact: At the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, the largest collection of human brains in the world — 296 organs — is collected. They serve as material for the study of Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. All of them were donated voluntarily.
7. Cambridge University
The huge library, which stores over 15 million books, a commitment to extracurricular activities and sports (80 sports are involved here) ensured Cambridge the glory of not only the temple of science, but also a place for the full development of the personality.
For almost all criteria except the citation index (69.2 points) and the number of foreign students (97.4), the university received 100-point marks.
Interesting fact: Cambridge University is not a single monolithic building, so the locals are not surprised at the question of visitors about where, in fact, the university itself. This university consists of 31 autonomous colleges, which are distributed throughout the city.
6. Swiss Higher Technical School of Zurich
The successful combination of a cosmopolitan worldview with national roots made this educational institution one of the driving forces of industrialization in Switzerland: it brought the necessary knowledge to the country, trained technical specialists and helped create a revolutionary national infrastructure.
The structure of modern ETHZ includes 16 faculties that offer academic education and conduct research in various subjects - from engineering and construction sciences to chemistry and physics.
Interesting fact: 2 Pritzker Prize winners, 21 Nobel Prize winners (including Albert Einstein) and 1 Turing Prize winner went out of the walls of one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in Europe.
5. Oxford University
About 22 thousand students study at the walls of the oldest university in the English-speaking world (founded in 1117), of which 40% are foreigners. And this is not surprising, because Oxford is a symbol of prestige and a kind of Mecca of golden youth from around the world.
Here you make the necessary acquaintances with representatives of the elite and gain comprehensive knowledge on politics, economics, philosophy and other popular disciplines.
Oxford pays great attention not only to mental, but also to physical development. The most prestigious sport here is rowing in eights. Tennis, squash, cricket and football are also popular.
Interesting fact: Under the 1610 Treaty, any book, magazine, or other publication published in Britain must be accompanied by a copy sent to the Oxford Library. Thanks to this, every week the library is replenished with 4000-5000 new publications.
4. California Institute of Technology
The specialization of this university, as its name implies, is exact sciences and engineering. Even the mascot is suitably selected - a beaver, because in the wild, beavers build dams and are kind of engineers by nature.
KTI also runs the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is part of NASA. It is within the walls of this laboratory that many NASA automatic spacecraft are created.
Interesting fact: Albert Einstein was a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology for three winter semesters - 1931, 1932, and 1933.
3. Harvard University
Ask people without hesitation to name the best American university, and most of them will probably think of Harvard first. This educational institution, located near Boston, is the oldest university in the United States and has always been considered one of the best higher education institutions in the world.
The cliche that enrolling at Harvard University is an incredibly difficult process is actually quite true. Of all the people who turn to Harvard every year, only 6% are students. Maybe they need to try buying a lottery ticket while luck is on their side!
Interesting fact: Harvard management twice tried to ban football because of fears that this is too cruel and dangerous sport. However, despite these efforts, pressure from graduates and students forced to accept this sport. Harvard's first concrete football stadium was built in 1903.
2. Stanford University
The second best university in the world for 2020 is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and many graduates immediately after graduation go to work at Google, Hewlett-Packard and other advanced technology corporations. This makes him one of the best universities for employment.
Given Stanford’s attention to nurturing the leadership qualities of his students, it’s not surprising that his list of graduates includes 2 former Japanese prime ministers, former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Crown Prince of Belgium and President of the Republic of Maldives Mohammed Wahid Hassan.
Interesting fact: until 1930, all training at Stanford was free. Now the cost of training is about $ 50,000 per year.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In the best university of 2020, according to QS Quacquarelli Symonds, over 11 thousand students and post-graduate students (including from Russia) are currently studying, and about 1000 teachers are helping them nibble on the granite of science.
MIT is famous for its excellent scientific and technical training and research in many fields, including biology, medicine, physics, chemistry, robotics and other sciences. Among its many laboratories and research centers are a nuclear research reactor, a computer center, geophysical and astrophysical observatories, a space research center, an artificial intelligence laboratory, and an international research center.
In addition, since the time of World War II, the Institute has maintained close ties with military and corporate clients who finance military research. Currently, MIT is the largest research structure in the world (of those that are not affiliated with commercial structures) in terms of the annual volume of orders for military research
Fun fact: the famous Tony Stark from Avengers was an MIT graduate, though he said that he graduated with honors, while there were no “red diplomas” in the institution.
The best Russian university in 2020 - Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov (Moscow State University)
One of the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious higher educational institution of our country has become the best representative of Russia in the list of QS World University Rankings 2021. About 47 thousand students study there and 4,000 foreign students enroll annually.
Moscow State University is on the 74th line and this is the best result in the entire history of the ranking, which has been conducted since 2004. According to the compilers of the rating, such a good result was achieved due to the increased reputation of Moscow State University in the global academic community.
The best university in Russia received high marks from QS Quacquarelli Symonds experts according to four out of six criteria.
- The academic reputation of Moscow State University received 77 points.
- The reputation of employers is 82 points.
- International students - 76 points.
- The number of students at faculties is 99 points.
Curious fact: the largest clock in Russia is installed on the main building of Moscow State University, the diameter of its dial is 9 meters, more than that of the chimes on Red Square.
