2012/13 QS World University Rankings

2012/13 QS World University Rankings - A tale of two cities

Danny Byrne, editor of TopUniversities.com writes:

Top 20 world universities

Date published: 12 Sep 2012

Cambridge is once again home to the world’s number one university. Yet this year the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), not the UK’s second-placed Cambridge University, takes the crown for the first time.

“The rise of MIT coincides with a global shift in emphasis toward science and technology

s QS head of research Ben Sowter.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts–based research powerhouse is propelled to the top spot by its superior citation rates and student/faculty ratio. Neighboring Harvard University slips to third, having topped the table every year between 2004 and 2009.

“The rise of MIT coincides with a global shift in emphasis toward science and technology”, says QS head of research Ben Sowter. “MIT perfects a blueprint that is now being followed by a new wave of cutting-edge tech-focused institutions, especially in Asia”.

Nine of the top 10 tech-focused universities improve their position, led by MIT, Imperial College (6), Caltech (10) and ETH Zurich (13). Korea’s KAIST (63) is the biggest riser in the top 100, while Hong Kong’s HKUST (33) and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (47) continue their rapid ascent. Both were founded in the last 21 years.