Have you ever thought about what the top universities in the world are? Or, do you desire to study in one of the best universities in the world?  

Know that the academic world is filled with outstanding institutions where you can get access to prestigious education that will give you a brilliant opportunity to have a prosperous career. However, there are certain schools that climb up the ladder the more they develop a reputation for highly talented faculty members, balanced student life, accomplished alumni, and the likes.

In today’s post, we have conducted extensive research and compiled together a list of 25 top universities in the world.

Please note the order of this list is not arranged from best to worst. It is more of a general collection of the top 25 private and public universities in the world.

The Best 25 Universities In The World In 2021

1. Harvard University  (Cambridge, Massachusetts, US)

If you have been looking for top universities in the USA for a long, you need to go for the age-old prestigious Harvard University. It happens to be of the oldest school in the world’s richest nation, whose endowment grew from $4.6 billion to $25.8 in 15 years under the management of the financial guru Jack Meyer.

The school has given birth to 49 Nobel laureates, 32 heads of state, and 48 Pulitzer winners. It boasts of the greatest academic library in the world, leading medical law and renowned business schools, and a well-renowned alumni network spread across the globe.

2. University Of Oxford (Oxford, England, United Kingdom)

Oxford University, founded in 1096, is the second oldest university in the world in constant operation behind the University of Bologna, established around 1088. It is also considered to be the world’s oldest university library, university press, and university museum.

Given its time-honored history and centuries-old reputation, the university has successfully given birth to a powerful list of prominent alumni. These Oxonians include 30 top international leaders, 28 British Prime Ministers, 30 International Leaders, over 100 members of British government positions, and 69 Nobel Prize winners.

3. University Of Cambridge (Cambridge, England, UK)

Being the seventh-oldest university in the world, Cambridge is an ancient institution steeped in tradition dating back to 1209.

The exclusive list of renowned scientists, mathematicians, or logicians who either taught or studied here incorporates Issac Newton, Augustus De Morgan, Charles Darwin, JJ Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Bertrand Russell, Rosalind Franklin, Stephen Hawking, and more.  It still remains one of the world’s most elite research institutions, with only Oxford to rival in the UK. It’s over 18000 students hail from 135 countries, and its faculty have earned more than 80 Nobel Prizes.

4. California Institute Of Technology (Pasadena, California, United States)

Ever watched the Big Bang Theory? Remember the institute where Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard used to work? Yes, you guessed it right! It’s one of the top engineering institutes in the world, the California Institute Of Technology or the Caltech. It maintains a stellar reputation as one of the top schools for science and engineering in the world.

The number of former students and faculty members is Nobel Laureates who have gone to work with the United States Air Force, and NASA. The school also manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The top scientific minds associated with Caltech University since 1891 include Richard Feynman and Albert Einstein

5. Stanford University (Stanford, California, United States)

Stanford University is one of the world’s greatest institutions for teaching and research, nestled in Silicon Valley. It is one of the top universities in the world and one of the top fundraising schools in the United States. In the year 2013, it became the first college to raise $1 billion in fundraising in a year. It’s well-renowned for its brilliance in engineering, IT programs, social sciences, but there are over 65 majors students can choose from.

6. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT) (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States)

Well-renowned for its prestige in science, math, engineering, and technology, know this is the place to be if you desire to be the next modern innovator. After all, Sir Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the World Wide Web) is a computer science professor at MIT, so you will be learning from the best men in the industry.

Reputed MIT alumni incorporate a wide array of accomplished architects, inventors, astronauts, scientists, business managers, and more. As a matter of fact, one third of all NASA’s space flights incorporate MIT-educated astronauts.

7. Columbia University (New York City, New York, US)

The fifth-oldest school in the United States, Columbia University, has a huge history. It produced America’s first MD, with 1,400 doctors presently graduating per year from one of the world’s most well-connected medical schools.

96 Columbians have been awarded a Nobel Prize, making it third in the world in the coveted category. Furthermore, it has also produced 29 heads of the state, with the inclusion of 3 US presidents. It also administers the Pulitzer Prize.

8. Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut, US)

Yale University includes everything one would expect from a major research university. It is one of the original eight Ivy League schools, a $20 billion endowment, and roughly 1 in 6 of its students originate from foreign nations.

Innumerable major US political careers started at Yale, and the Yale Law School has been a leading US law school for years. Its research centers address topics as diverse as Benjamin Franklin’s writings, magnetic resonance imaging research, bioethics and the Russian archives. Yale is also equally preeminent in humanities, science, and professions.

9. University Of Toronto (U of T) (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Established in 1822, the University Of Toronto is the oldest university in Ontario, Canada. It is one of the top-ranked public universities in the USA. It is well known as the birthplace of two significant inventions- insulin and stem cell research. It boasts of three campuses, 11 colleges, and a leading scientific research institution in Canada. It’s also one of the best colleges for pursuing political science, with numerous Canadian Prime Ministers and Premiers having studied there. It also presently ranks second in the world for psychology.

10. John Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland, United States)

Retaining its reputation as a leading institution since 1876, John Hopkins University was the first research university to open in the United States. It is home to some of the country’s leading medical and nursing research facilities and also reputed as one of the top medical schools. Apart from that, there are four international research facilities in China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Italy.

11. University College London (UCL) (London, England, United Kingdom)

University College London is one of the top public research universities in London, England, that has been recognized as one of the top 20 super-elite universities in the world as per the Times Higher Education annual rankings. Founded in 1826, this reputed university also boasts of the largest student population in the United States.

Originally opened as a secular school inspired by the ideas of Jeremy Bentham, it was the first university in England to admit women to its student’s population. Among the accomplished notable alumni are Mahatma Gandhi, Jomo Kenyatta, Chris Martin, Christopher Nolan, and Alexander Graham Bell.

12. Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey, United States)

Princeton University undoubtedly ranks among the top universities in the world, as it is an institute where Einstein once lectured. This Ivy-League university was established in 1747, making it the fourth-oldest university in the United States.

The acceptance rate at Princeton University is just 5% with programs specializing in research in humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering.

13. University of California- Berkeley (Berkeley, California, US)

Berkeley is considered to be unique among the top public elite universities of the world. This well-renowned university is nestled in a splendid city of the same name within easy commuting distance of San Francisco. With more than 42,000 students, Berkeley is a huge school for its status. It has an impressive selection of talented students offering 350-degree programs and generates more PhDs annually than any other US institution.

14. University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Established in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is one of the oldest schools in the English-speaking world. The school has given birth to renowned heads of state for Malawi, Syria, South Korea, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Its list of historic luminaries incorporates David Hume, Adam Smith, James Clerk Maxwell, Charles Darwin, and Alexander Graham Bell. This university discovered the first genetically engineered hepatitis B vaccine and helped in designing the first industrial assembly robot.

15. Eth Zurich- Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology (Zurich, Switzerland)

Popular for its cutting-edge research in engineering, science, and technology, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is home to a diverse population of both international and European future scientists. It consistently ranks in the top tier of global institutions for STEM programs, right alongside Caltech and MIT.

Established in 1854, ETH Zurich has notable alumni, including Albert Einstein, Alfred Werner, Wilhelm Rontgen, Fritz Haber, tech giant Philippe Kahn, and Werner Arber. It has an acceptance rate of 27%.

16. University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US)

Dating back to 1740, the University of Pennsylvania or Penn is a reputed Ivy League School. The school has just fewer than 500 international students. The faculty incorporates 84 Academy of Arts and Sciences members, 81 Institute of Medicine members, 33 National Academy of Science Members, 31 American Philosophical Society Members,177 Guggenheim Fellowship recipients, and 12 National Academy of Engineering members.

17. Humboldt University of Berlin (Berlin, Germany)

Established in 1810 by Wilhelm von Humboldt, Humboldt University of Berlin is the oldest of Berlin’s four universities. It was the first university to emphasize the unity of research and teaching in addition to the value of research without restrictions.

Furthermore, the university has a long history as the preeminent university of natural sciences. It is also considered one of the finest universities in the world for its 189 disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, cultural studies, mathematics, medicine, and agricultural sciences.

18. New York University (New York City, New York, US)

New York University has earned a stellar reputation second only to Columbia’s. 87 different foreign nations and 48 states are represented in its freshman class alone. It also sends more students abroad than any other American school.

83% of NYU graduating class leave with jobs even in the recent times of economic unpredictability. This number slightly increased to 94% of employed or in graduate school within six months of commencement.  

19. University of Melbourne (UM) (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Established in 1853, the university offers a variety of programs of study, with the inclusion of business, law, neuroscience, health care and medicine, and economics.

Most alumni from UM have gone on to become Prime Ministers, Governor Generals, Nobel Laureates, Governor Generals, Regional governors, and members of the Australian Supreme Courts. Among them are well-renowned Julia Gillard, comedian Ronny Chieng, World War I commander John Monash, Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, and feminist author Germaine Greer.

 

20. Imperial College London (London, England, United Kingdom)

Officially opened in 1907 by the Royal charter from King Edward VII, Imperial College of London is a top tier medical school in the United Kingdom and recognized to be one of the top medical schools in the world.

It is comprised of mergers under the Imperial College Act of 1997 between Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School. It also includes St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, the National Heart and Lung Institute, and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS). Eminent alumni and graduates from the Imperial College incorporate H.G. Wells, Thomas Henry Huxley, Alexander Fleming, Peter Higgs, and Brian May of Queen.

21. University Of Chicago (UC) (Chicago, Illinois, United States)

Home to some of the United State’s most prestigious arts, science, and professional programs with the inclusion of law business, the university has numerous international campuses around the world. These are situated in London, Hong Kong, Paris, Delhi, Beijing, to name a few. The University of Chicago is considered to be the largest university press in the United States.

Founded in 1890, the University of Chicago is mainly known for its law school and public policy program. More than 100 Nobel Laureates are affiliated in some way or the other with UC.

22. Cornell University (Ithaca, New York, United States)

Cornell University is another Ivy League institution in the US with a stellar reputation. Originally established in 1865, the university has a focus on a diverse range of subjects and fields, from sciences to the creative arts. At its inception, the goal of the university was to offer education in any program to anyone, irrespective of their religion, background, or race.

Most of its graduate schools are ranked highly, with the inclusion of its College of Veterinary Medicine, Law School, College of Engineering, School of Hotel Administration, and Weill Cornell Medical College.

23. Tsinghua University (Beijing, China)

Our next university takes us across the ocean to Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. It was originally founded in 1911 as an institution that prepared Chinese students to go to the United States to study. However, the school had started its own undergraduate program by 1925. Presently, it is considered to be the top university in Asia.

Most of the university’s alumni have gone on to take major government positions. Tsinghua began to outrank MIT in the top schools in the world for engineering in 2015.

24. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) (Singapore)

Nanyang Technological University is recognized as the enormous university campus in Singapore and is frequently ranked as one of the top global university around the world. Though established in 1981, it boasts no shortage of recognition and has gained an outstanding position in technological innovation.

The acceptance rate at this well-recognized university is 35% and most of the NTTU’s alumni have gone on to take esteemed positions within the Singapore government.

25. The University of Tokyo (UTOKYO) (Tokyo, Japan)

The University of Tokyo has climbed in the global university rankings in the present years. It was established in 1877 under the reigns of the Meiji government and  laid special emphasis on fields like medicine, science, law, arts, and culture.

The university also comprises two exemplary undergraduate programs geared towards international students that are taught wholly in English. It is also home to one of the top law schools in  Japan. The acceptance rate at UTokyo is 34.2%.

Well, that’s all for today! Here’s hoping that this comprehensive guide was helpful in making an informed and wise decision for choosing an eminent university to study. Here’s wishing all the luck for a prosperous future.

 

 

 

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