Top 100 Universities in the World – QS 2026 Rankings

Top 100 Universities

This page shows the QS World University Rankings of the top universities around the world. Currently, it lists the Top 100 universities for 2026, but you can also view earlier years, such as 2025 and 2024. Each year, the table is updated with the latest results, while the older lists remain in the archive for reference and comparison. The QS World University Rankings is one of the most trusted sources for identifying top universities worldwide. Their 2026 rankings feature over 1,500 institutions from over 100 different locations.

Choosing a university is a big deal for any student. The QS rankings give a clear picture of which institutions stand out for teaching, research, and global reputation. But this list is more than just scores on a chart — it highlights universities that shape ideas, attract talent from every part of the world, and push innovation across different fields.

Maybe you’re looking at options for study abroad, maybe you’re curious about how universities stack up against each other, or maybe you’re just exploring. Either way, the QS World University Rankings are a reliable place to start. Scroll through the table and you’ll see familiar names that have long been leaders, alongside newer institutions making a strong impression.

QS 2026 Rankings – Top 100 Universities

Here are the universities that were recognized in the QS Top 100 Universities list for the year 2026:

Rank Name City Country
#1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge United States
#2 Imperial College London London United Kingdom
#3 Stanford University Stanford United States
#4 University of Oxford Oxford United Kingdom
#5 Harvard University Cambridge United States
#6 University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
#7 ETH Zurich Zürich Switzerland
#8 National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
#9 University College London London United Kingdom
#10 California Institute of Technology Pasadena United States
#11 The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong
#12 Nanyang Technological University Singapore Singapore
#13 University of Chicago Chicago United States
#14 Peking University Beijing China
#15 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia United States
#16 Cornell University Ithaca United States
#17 Tsinghua University Beijing China
#17 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley United States
#19 The University of Melbourne Melbourne Australia
#20 The University of New South Wales Kensington Australia
#21 Yale University New Haven United States
#22 Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
#22 Technical University of Munich München Germany
#24 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore United States
#25 Princeton University Princeton United States
#25 The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
#27 McGill University Montreal Canada
#28 Paris Sciences et Lettres University Paris France
#29 University of Toronto Toronto Canada
#30 Fudan University Shanghai China
#31 Kings College London, University of London London United Kingdom
#32 Australian National University Canberra Australia
#32 Chinese University of Hong Kong New Territories Hong Kong
#34 University of Edinburgh Edinburgh United Kingdom
#35 The University of Manchester Manchester United Kingdom
#36 Monash University Clayton Australia
#36 University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
#38 Seoul National University Seoul South Korea
#38 Columbia University in New York New York City United States
#40 University of British Columbia Vancouver Canada
#41 Polytechnic Institute of Paris Palaiseau France
#42 Northwestern University Evanston United States
#42 The University of Queensland St Lucia Australia
#44 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong Hong Kong
#45 University of Michigan Ann Arbor United States
#46 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles United States
#47 Delft University of Technology Delft Netherlands
#47 Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
#49 Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
#50 Yonsei University Seoul South Korea
#51 University of Bristol Bristol United Kingdom
#52 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh United States
#53 University of Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
#54 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Kowloon Hong Kong
#55 New York University New York City United States
#56 London School of Economics and Political Science London United Kingdom
#57 Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
#58 Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich München Germany
#58 University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
#60 KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
#61 Korea University Seoul South Korea
#62 Duke University Durham United States
#63 City University of Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong
#63 National Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
#65 University of Auckland Auckland Central New Zealand
#66 University of California, San Diego San Diego United States
#67 King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Dhahran Saudi Arabia
#68 The University of Texas at Austin Austin United States
#69 Brown University Providence United States
#70 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign United States
#70 Paris-Saclay University Gif-sur-Yvette France
#72 Lund University Lund Sweden
#72 Sorbonne University Paris France
#74 The University of Warwick Coventry United Kingdom
#75 Trinity College Dublin Dublin Ireland
#76 University of Birmingham Birmingham United Kingdom
#77 The University of Western Australia Crawley Australia
#78 KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm Sweden
#79 University of Glasgow Glasgow United Kingdom
#80 University of Heidelberg Heidelberg Germany
#81 University of Washington Seattle United States
#82 Adelaide University Adelaide Australia
#82 Pennsylvania State University University Park United States
#84 University of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
#85 Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) Meguro City Japan
#86 University of Leeds Leeds United Kingdom
#87 University of Southampton Southampton United Kingdom
#88 Boston University Boston United States
#88 Free University of Berlin Berlin Germany
#88 Purdue University West Lafayette United States
#91 Osaka University Suita Japan
#92 The University of Sheffield Sheffield United Kingdom
#93 Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
#94 Durham University Durham United Kingdom
#94 University of Alberta Edmonton Canada
#96 University of Technology Sydney Sydney Australia
#97 The University of Nottingham Nottingham United Kingdom
#98 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen Germany
#98 Polytechnic University of Milan Milano Italy
#100 University of Zürich Zürich Switzerland

Previous QS Rankings

Wondering how 2026 rankings compare to previous years? Use the dropdown menu below to access the previous years' QS Top 100 university rankings, from 2021 to 2025.

Countries with the Most Top-Ranked Universities

Some countries have a well-deserved reputation for prosperity in higher education. Here are the top 10 countries with the most universities in the QS 2026 rankings – countries known for attracting International students with world-class education and research opportunities.

Tips for Choosing Universities

Choosing among the hundreds of high-quality universities around the world can be daunting, so here are some tips to keep in your consideration set:

  • Know your goals: Choose programs and research areas that suit your interests.
  • Consider things like: Country culture, lifestyle opportunities, and out-of-classroom opportunities.
  • Think beyond rank: A university's perceived reputation is important, but so is how it will fit your personal and professional trajectory, or future.
  • Get a feel for campus culture: Check out virtual tours and student forums to get a feel for the school's community.
  • Research financial aid: Many of the top universities have scholarships for international students.

Selecting a university among the Top 100 national and international university networks can open up countless opportunities and friendships for life.