Harvard tops THE World Reputation Rankings 2025 for 14th consecutive year as global university list expands

The Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2025 have been released, with Harvard University once again securing the number one position for the 14th consecutive year.

The rankings are based on over 55,000 responses from academic experts worldwide, making it the largest invitation-only reputation survey in higher education.

This year’s list has expanded to 300 universities, up from 200 in 2024, reflecting a broader global perspective. The updated methodology incorporates pairwise comparison and voter diversity metrics to ensure a more precise ranking of institutions. Academic reputation remains a critical factor influencing student recruitment, faculty hiring, institutional partnerships, and research funding.

Phil Baty, Chief Global Affairs Officer at THE, commented on the results:

"There is no doubt that academic reputation is a powerful currency in global higher education – it shapes student choices, faculty movement, institutional collaborations and investments.

“And Times Higher Education’s Academic Reputation Survey, drawing on more than three-quarters of a million votes from a survey of over 55,000 expert academics worldwide, provides the definitive view of the world’s most prestigious universities – the top global academic brands."

Top 10 universities in the 2025 rankings

The top 10 institutions maintain their dominance, with Harvard University securing the number one spot for the 14th consecutive year. The University of Oxford has moved up to a joint second position with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), marking the best performance by a UK institution since 2015.

Top 10 Universities

1. Harvard University (United States)

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (United States)

3. University of Oxford (United Kingdom)

4. Stanford University (United States)

5. University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

6. University of California, Berkeley (United States)

7. Princeton University (United States)

8. Tsinghua University (China)

9. Yale University (United States)

10. The University of Tokyo (Japan)

Top 50 universities in the 2025 rankings

1. Columbia University (United States)

2. California Institute of Technology (United States)

3. Peking University (China)

4. University of Chicago (United States)

5. Imperial College London (United Kingdom)

6. ETH Zurich (Switzerland)

7. University of Pennsylvania (United States)

8. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (United States)

9. National University of Singapore (Singapore)

10. Johns Hopkins University (United States)

11. University of Toronto (Canada)

12. University of Michigan (United States)

13. University College London (United Kingdom)

14. Kyoto University (Japan)

15. University of California, San Diego (United States)

16. Carnegie Mellon University (United States)

17. Technical University of Munich (Germany)

18. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (United States)

19. Northwestern University (United States)

20. Duke University (United States)

21. University of Washington (United States)

22. University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

23. New York University (United States)

24. Fudan University (China)

25. University of Sydney (Australia)

26. University of Melbourne (Australia)

27. University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States)

28. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China)

29. University of British Columbia (Canada)

30. Seoul National University (South Korea)

31. Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany)

32. University of Texas at Austin (United States)

33. University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR, China)

34. McGill University (Canada)

35. KU Leuven (Belgium)

36. Sorbonne University (France)

37. University of Manchester (United Kingdom)

38. University of Science and Technology of China (China)

39. Heidelberg University (Germany)

40. University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Performance of key regions in the rankings

North America

• Harvard University continues to be the most prestigious university in North America.

• The United States dominates the top 50 with 30 institutions, reinforcing its leadership in global higher education.

• University of California, Berkeley (6th) and Princeton University (7th) maintain strong reputations.

• Canada’s University of Toronto (21st) remains the country’s top-ranked institution, followed by McGill University (44th).

Europe

• University of Oxford (2nd) and University of Cambridge (5th) represent the UK’s strongest showing.

• Technical University of Munich (27th) is Germany’s highest-ranked institution.

• Sorbonne University (46th) joins the top 50, marking an improvement for France.

• KU Leuven (45th) and LMU Munich (41st) make significant gains.

Asia

• Tsinghua University (8th) is the leading institution in China.

• University of Tokyo (10th) and Kyoto University (24th) maintain Japan’s position as a strong research hub.

• National University of Singapore (19th) remains Southeast Asia’s most reputable university.

Oceania

• University of Melbourne (36th) leads Australian universities.

• The University of Sydney (35th) and University of New South Wales (60th) also appear in the rankings.

Latin America and Africa

• University of São Paulo (101-150) is Latin America’s highest-ranking institution.

• University of Cape Town (201-300) marks South Africa’s return to the rankings.

New entrants and notable changes

This year’s rankings saw an expansion to 300 universities, allowing institutions from 10 new countries to be included for the first time. Malaysia, Poland, Chile, and Portugal have been ranked for the first time in THE’s World Reputation Rankings. Institutions like LMU Munich, KU Leuven, Sorbonne University, and University of Hong Kong entered the top 50 for the first time.

New entrants include:

• University of Malaya (Malaysia)

• Jagiellonian University and University of Warsaw (Poland)

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile)

• University of Lisbon and University of Porto (Portugal)

Methodology updates in 2025

The 2025 rankings methodology has introduced three key factors:

• Vote counts – Measures the total number of votes received by institutions.

• Pairwise comparison – Allows respondents to rank institutions in order of preference.

• Voter diversity – Ensures rankings reflect a broad global perspective.

Vicky Irwin, Senior Director at THE Consultancy, highlighted Asia’s growth potential:

"With only 15% of the 300 ranked universities coming from Asia, the region presents immense growth opportunities. We are witnessing universities in Asia taking a much greater interest in managing and developing their international reputations."

For the full list of Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2025, visit THE’s official website.