Harvard University has once again secured the top position in the Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings, maintaining its dominance for the 14th consecutive year. Close behind, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Oxford have tied for second place, while Stanford University and the University of Cambridge share the fourth spot.
The University of Oxford’s strong showing marks the highest reputation ranking for a UK institution in the past decade. This rise suggests that Oxford’s prestige for academic excellence is finally aligning with its overall performance.
Among the top 10 institutions, Ivy League members Princeton University and Yale University secured the seventh and ninth positions, respectively. Additionally, China’s Tsinghua University ranked eighth, and Japan’s University of Tokyo made a significant leap, ranking 10th—18 places higher than its 28th position in the overall world rankings.
Several universities have made their way into the top 50 most influential academic institutions. These include LMU Munich, KU Leuven, Sorbonne University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Hong Kong, and the University of Manchester. Moreover, four new countries—Chile, Malaysia, Poland, and Portugal—have made their debut in THE World Reputation Rankings this year.
The top 10 universities in THE Rankings are as follows:
Harvard University – United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – United States
University of Oxford – United Kingdom
Stanford University – United States
University of Cambridge – United Kingdom
University of California, Berkeley – United States
Princeton University – United States
Tsinghua University – China
Yale University – United States
The University of Tokyo – Japan
The 2025 edition of THE World Reputation Rankings incorporates six performance indicators for the first time. This change aims to offer a more comprehensive evaluation of institutional reputation and reflects the increasing importance of reputation within the academic community.
