Explore the list of the world’s top universities

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change,” said Albert Einstein. Perhaps the same could be said about academic excellence in higher education.

Signs from this year’s Times Higher Education World University Rankings suggest that countries that are adapting to a changing academic landscape make progress, while those struggling to adapt to domestic policies or geopolitical tensions are beginning to lag behind.

Last year, we reported stagnation at the top of the table for Asia, as the region’s top universities failed to improve their ranks or break into the global top 10. And although the 2027 edition of the ranking still has an exclusively US and UK top 10, Asia is rising again.

Tsinghua University has moved up to 11th position, with an overall score just a hair’s breadth outside the top 10. Significantly, it has overtaken ETH Zurich, meaning that for the first time we are seeing an Asian university ahead of mainland Europe in the rankings.

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Meanwhile, South-east Asia has continued its upwards trajectory. The National University of Singapore has moved into 15th position, putting three Asian universities into the top 15 for the first time.

Our analyses delve into what is driving Asia’s success and what it would take for Asia’s top universities to finally break into the top 10.

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In the US and UK an overall decline across the majority of metrics indicates that the traditional Western powerhouses are struggling to adapt to a higher education sector in flux. The results of the 2027 university rankings reveal that funding cuts in the UK are having an impact as the data show the nation has dropped in all three of the income-based metrics. And globally, attempts to drive competitiveness by merging universities are yet to deliver significant gains.

One of the disruptive forces reshaping global higher education today is the rise of artificial intelligence, and a recent feature considers whether universities will be forced to return to more traditional forms of assessment such as in-person exams, as AI use becomes ubiquitous among students.

However, striking the right balance between old and new can be a powerful recipe for success, as an article on the Western world’s oldest university reveals. Giovanni Molari, rector of the University of Bologna, tells us that the university’s ability to rise to the “challenges of each era” ensures there is “no tension between tradition and innovation”.

In the coming years, it will no doubt become apparent which countries and institutions are capable of rising to the challenges of this HE era with enough forward momentum to stay competitive in the academic sector.

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naomi.firsht@timehighereducation.com

Countries/territories represented in the top 200

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See the full results of the World University Rankings 2027