QS World University Rankings 2023

Office of International and Scientific Cooperation (OISC), June. 10, 2022

This year’s QS World University Rankings include almost 1,500 institutions from around the world. It’s not just iconic institutions that take the top spots: this year’s highest rankings include universities from diverse locations across Europe, Asia and North America. 

For the eleventh subsequent year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) remains the world’s number one university, according to our metrics.

The University of Cambridge achieves second place, with Stanford University and Harvard University steady at last year’s 3rd and 5th places respectively, while Oxford University is in 4th place, down from 2nd last year.

Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, shared an overview of key global trends and changes which we’ve seen from this year’s rankings, saying: “The UK higher education system shines for being intensively collaborative, with 55% of its research involving international engagement, compared to the global average of 20%.

“This edition of the rankings also reflects Australia’s research prowess, with 71% of its universities improving in the QS measure of research impact. At the same time, the country is struggling to recover its pre-pandemic levels of international student enrolments following two years of COVID isolation.

“India continues to progress in the rankings, with more universities improving than declining this year. China has achieved a momentous milestone, with its two leading universities now among the top 15 for the first time. Finally, France’s merged universities leap forward in this edition. Well funded, effectively regulated, and globally collaborative higher education systems have demonstrated resilience during testing times and are leveraging opportunities for growth and innovation despite the  global challenges the entire sector faced.”

The six indicators that determine the QS World University Ranking 2023 are: 

Academic reputation – Accounting for 40 per cent of the overall score, academic reputation looks at the teaching and research quality at the world’s universities. We collate over 130,000 expert opinions from the higher education space, creating the largest survey of academic opinion in the world.  

Employer reputation – We know that students want to graduate with the skills and knowledge required for the employment market. We assess how institutions prepare students for successful careers, and which institutions provide the most competent, innovative, and effective graduates.  

Faculty/student ratio – This indicator recognises that a high number of academics per student reduces the teaching burden and creates a more supportive student experience. We assess how institutions provide students with meaningful access to lecturers and tutors.  

Citations per faculty – We measure university research quality with a citation per faculty metric, taking the total number of academic citations in papers produced by a university in a five-year period. 

International student ratio & International faculty ratio – A highly international university creates a number of benefits. It demonstrates the ability to attract quality students and staff from across the world, and it implies a highly global outlook. Strong international institutions provide a multinational environment, building international sympathies and global awareness.