Japan university stands as only Asia institution in global top 25
The University of Tokyo is the only Asian institution to make the top 25 in the Center for World University Rankings’ 2026 list.
The Japanese university ranked 13th globally, making it Asia’s highest-ranked institution. The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) assessed more than 21,200 higher education institutions worldwide before selecting the final Global 2000.
Kyoto University was Asia’s second-highest-ranked university, placing 26th.
Yasuda auditorium is seen behind ginkgo trees at the University of Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan July 20, 2016. Photo by Reuters
Beyond the Japanese institutions, Asia's next-highest-ranked universities include South Korea's Seoul National University at 30th. Three Chinese institutes followed closely: Tsinghua University at 36th, Peking University at 40th, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences at 41st.
The global top five remained unchanged from the previous year, with leading institutions from the United States and the United Kingdom continuing their dominance. Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford took the highest honors.
The U.S. maintained its strong grip on the upper echelon of the list. American universities claimed eight of the top 10 spots and 20 of the top 30.
CWUR rank 2026
Institution
Location
Score
Tuition fees (USD)
1
Harvard University
US
100
59,300
2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US
96.8
64,300
3
Stanford University
US
95.2
67,700
4
University of Cambridge
UK
94.1
59,700
5
University of Oxford
UK
93.3
85,800
6
Princeton University
US
92.7
68,100
7
University of Pennsylvania
US
92.1
65,700
8
Columbia University
US
91.6
70,200
9
Yale University
US
91.2
69,900
10
University of Chicago
US
90.8
73,300
11
California Institute of Technology
US
90.5
65,600
12
University of California, Berkeley
US
90.2
54,900
13
University of Tokyo
Japan
89.9
2,170
14
Cornell University
US
89.6
71,300
15
Northwestern University
US
89.3
70,600
16
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
US
89.1
66,200
17
University of California, Los Angeles
US
88.9
54,900
18
Johns Hopkins University
US
88.7
67,200
19
University College Londononal University
UK
88.5
43,100-77,200
20
PSL University
France
88.3
3,365
21
Duke University
US
88.1
73,200
22
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
US
87.9
47,800
23
University of Toronto
Canada
87.8
51,700
24
New York University
US
87.6
65,600
25
University of Washington
US
87.4
44,600
26
Kyoto University
Japan
87.3
3,350
27
Imperial College London
United Kingdom
87.2
58,500
28
McGill University
Canada
87.0
25,700-91,600
29
University of Wisconsin–Madison
US
86.9
44,200
30
Seoul National University
South Korea
86.8
3,970
Although China had no universities in the top 30 this year, it boasted 360 ranked institutions overall, the highest number of any country in the world. Approximately 98% of Chinese universities improved their positions from previous years. The U.S. followed with the second-largest number of ranked institutions at 313.
Unlike some other global rankings, the CWUR does not rely on surveys or data submitted by the universities themselves. Instead, the rankings are based on four key factors: education quality, alumni employability, faculty distinction, and research performance.
Research performance carries the heaviest weight, accounting for 40% of the total score. This metric assesses the total number of research articles as well as those published in highly influential or frequently cited journals.
The quality of education and alumni employment each contribute 25% to the final score. These factors are measured by the academic and professional success of a university’s alumni relative to the institution's size.
The final 10% is determined by faculty quality, specifically tracking the number of faculty members who have received top global academic distinctions.
View original source — VnExpress ↗
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