Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The THE World University Rankings rank more than 2,000 research-intensive universities using 18 indicators on teaching, research, citations, industry links and international outlook. It is one of the three most cited global tables and is often used by governments and universities alongside QS and ARWU.
- Reliability
- Grade B · 8/12
- Publisher
- Times Higher Education
- Ranks
- Universities
- Editions
- 16 since 2010
- Method
- Mixed
- How items get in
- Free, institutions submit data
- Status
- Active
Editions
| Edition | Published | Top of the list | On record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | October 2025 | University of Oxford | 20 of 2191 |
| 2025 | October 9, 2024 | University of Oxford | 16 of 2092 |
| 2024 Method changed | September 27, 2023 | University of Oxford | 12 of 1907 |
| 2023 | 2022 | University of Oxford | 10 of 1799 |
| 2022 | 2021 | University of Oxford | 9 |
| 2021 | 2020 | University of Oxford | 9 |
| 2020 | 2019 | University of Oxford | 8 |
| 2019 | 2018 | University of Oxford | 9 |
| 2018 | 2017 | University of Oxford | 8 of 1000 |
| 2016-2017 | 2016 | University of Oxford | 8 of 980 |
| 2015-2016 Method changed | 2015 | California Institute of Technology | 8 of 800 |
| 2014-2015 | 2014 | California Institute of Technology | 10 of 400 |
| 2013-2014 | 2013 | California Institute of Technology | 8 of 400 |
| 2012-2013 | 2012 | California Institute of Technology | 9 of 400 |
| 2011-2012 | 2011 | Not recorded | At the publisher |
| 2010-2011 Method changed | September 16, 2010 | Not recorded | At the publisher |
How the ranking works
Since the 2024 edition (WUR 3.0), THE scores universities on 18 performance indicators grouped into five areas: teaching (learning environment), research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook. Inputs are institution-submitted data, THE's Academic Reputation Survey (68,402 responses for the 2024 edition) and Elsevier Scopus bibliometrics (134 million citations to 16.5 million publications for 2024). Institutions must meet publication thresholds and submit data to be ranked.
From 2010-11 to 2023 the method used 13 indicators in five areas; the launch weights were teaching 30%, research 30%, citations 32.5%, international mix 5% and industry income 2.5%. Bibliometric data moved from Thomson Reuters to Elsevier for the 2015-16 edition.
Ranked positions: Each item has a position (1, 2, 3), with ties allowed. Universities must submit institutional data to THE and meet publication thresholds to be ranked; there is no fee to be ranked. THE sells data, consulting, events and advertising to universities, and some institutions, such as Sorbonne University in 2025, have publicly criticized the method.
How far to trust it
Superscout grades every ranking on six criteria, each scored 0 to 2. Times Higher Education World University Rankings scores 8 of 12, grade B.
- Transparency 1/2
- Pillars and indicators published, but critics say results cannot be reproduced.
- Independence 1/2
- No fee to be ranked, but THE sells consulting and data services to universities.
- Evidence 1/2
- Mix of submitted data, reputation survey and Scopus bibliometrics.
- Stability 1/2
- Method breaks in 2015-16 (data source) and 2024 (WUR 3.0).
- Coverage 2/2
- 2,191 universities ranked in WUR 2026.
- Track record 2/2
- 16 editions under THE's own method since 2010-11.
History
Times Higher Education co-published the THE-QS World University Rankings from 2004 to 2009, then ended the partnership and launched its own ranking with Thomson Reuters data on September 16, 2010. In November 2014 THE brought data collection in house and switched to Elsevier's Scopus, and the 2015-16 table doubled to 800 universities.
After the 2016-17 edition THE began labeling editions with the following year (WUR 2018). The 2024 edition introduced WUR 3.0, the largest method change since 2010. Caltech led from at least 2012-13 to 2015-16; Oxford has ranked first in every edition since 2016-17, ten in a row through WUR 2026.
How it is received
THE is widely cited by governments and in university marketing, but critics question its heavy reliance on citations and a reputation survey. Commentators cited on Wikipedia argue that citation weighting disadvantages non-English-language universities and book-based fields in the humanities and social sciences, and higher education analyst Bahram Bekhradnia pointed to "very limited checking of data" after a submission error lowered Trinity College Dublin's position.
In October 2025 the president of Sorbonne University called THE's tables "black boxes" whose methods could not be reproduced or questioned, as reported on Wikipedia. THE's commercial services to ranked universities are also a common concern.
Strengths
- Broad coverage of more than 2,000 universities in 115 countries.
- Balances teaching, research, industry and international measures rather than research alone.
- Pillar-level scores published for each ranked university.
- Oxford's run since 2016-17 gives a consistent headline signal.
Weaknesses
- Relies on university-submitted data with limited external checking.
- Reputation survey and citations dominate the score.
- WUR 3.0 (2024) and the 2015-16 data switch break comparability.
- THE sells services to universities it ranks.
- Critics, including Sorbonne University's president in 2025, say results cannot be reproduced.
Open questions
Facts not verified yet. They stay visible so they are not mistaken for settled facts.
- Publication years for the 2011-12 to 2023 editions are inferred from the edition sequence (each published the calendar year before its label, or in the first year of a split label) and recorded with year precision; exact release days for these (other than September 16, 2010) and for WUR 2026 (October 2025) were not verified.
- The 2010-11 and 2011-12 ranked tables could not be read; leaders not verified from a source.
- Current WUR 3.0 pillar weights were not verified from a readable THE page (the methodology page returned 403).
- Wikipedia's THE table does not mark ties; ties were inferred where two institutions share a rank.
- WUR 2019 to 2022 counts are approximate as stated by THE ('more than 1,250', 'almost 1,400', 'more than 1,500', 'more than 1,600') and left null.
- THE's 2024 count differs slightly between its page (1,907) and Forbes (1,904).
Superscout describes Times Higher Education World University Rankings independently from the publisher’s own pages and outside coverage, linked below. The rankings belong to Times Higher Education.
Sources and known limits
Last reviewed .
- World University Rankings 2026 (THE)
- World University Rankings 2025 (THE)
- World University Rankings 2024 (THE)
- THE World University Rankings 2026 (Hotcourses Abroad)
- The top 20 universities in the QS, THE and Shanghai rankings (Cambridge International)
- This U.S. university has been crowned the No. 2 best in the world for 2025 (Time Out)
- The 2024 Best World Universities, Oxford At The Top (Forbes)
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings (Wikipedia)
- World University Rankings 2015-2016 (THE)