Oxford Grabs Top Spot in Latest World University Ratings

The Wall Street Journal announces the complete top 10 list, including an analysis of the huge gains being made in China.

The University of Oxford, the oldest in the English-speaking world, took the top spot in the latest World University Rankings, released annually by Times Higher Education. The English university dating to 1096 dethroned the California Institute of Technology.

This is the first time a university outside the U.S. is No. 1 in the list’s 13-year history. This year’s list also underscores strengthening university systems in Asia as schools in China and Hong Kong have risen up the ranks, some by double digits.

Oxford’s boost came from an exceptionally strong research income and global collaboration.

Further down the list, Asian universities have soared past some of the most prestigious institutions in Europe and the U.S.

Over the past eight years, China has invested the equivalent of roughly $33 billion in developing a group of elite universities through two government initiatives.

American schools account for about one-third of the top 200 schools, same as last year. British universities make up 16% of the list, down a percentage point from last year, and Germany claims 11%, up a percentage point.

Notable movers in the U.S. include the University of California, Berkeley, which returned to the top 10 by tying the University of Chicago at No. 10.