Best Global Universities Rankings 2024
Harvard University
#1 in Best Global Universities
Cambridge, MA 02138 United States|
Harvard University is the oldest university in the United States, having been founded in 1636. Over 20 percent of Harvard’s student body is international, and the majority of students are graduate students. Harvard is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, although it also maintains facilities in the neighboring city of Boston, home of the Harvard Medical School. Of all the universities in the world, this one boasts the biggest endowment. Over 100 centers at Harvard do study in a variety of fields.
The undergraduate college, together with eleven other degree-granting establishments such as the highly esteemed Business School, Graduate School of Education, Law School, and John F. Kennedy School of Government, comprise the university.
The medical school has partnerships with a number of teaching hospitals, including as Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The most common majors among Harvard undergraduates are in the social sciences, biological sciences, history, arithmetic, and psychology. The university uses a semester-based academic calendar, with instruction conducted in English.
The majority of undergraduate students live on campus for their entire four years, initially spending their freshman year around Harvard Yard in the middle of campus and then spending the remainder of their time in one of the twelve undergraduate residences. A small amount of housing for universities
University Data
Total number of students | 21,887 |
Total number of academic staff | 2,278 |
Number of undergraduate degrees awarded | 1,802 |
Number of doctoral degrees awarded | 1,464 |
Number of new undergraduate students | 1,658 |
Number of new doctoral students | 1,479 |
Number of international students | 5,377 |
Number of international staff | 528 |
Number of master’s degrees awarded | 4,922 |
Number of research only staff | 2,123 |
Number of new master’s students | 3,581 |
Rankings
According to Best Global Universities, Harvard University is ranked first. Schools are ranked based on how well they perform across a range of commonly recognized excellence metrics. Learn more about our school ranking system.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
#2 in Best Global Universities
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 United States|
Founded in 1861, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Boston. The institution enrolls over 11,000 students, of whom about 60% pursue graduate studies. There are five schools at MIT: engineering, science, management, humanities, arts, and social sciences, and architecture and planning. At MIT, English is the medium of instruction.
There is a four-week “Independent Activities Period” in January as part of the 4-1-4 academic cycle. Faculty, staff, alumni, and undergraduate and graduate students take part in forums, lecture series, recitals, and other unique events throughout this time.
While living on campus is only mandatory for first-year undergraduate students, many students opt to remain on campus throughout their academic careers. One of MIT’s many labs or centers, the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, is one of the biggest university research reactors in the United States and offers numerous possibilities for both undergraduate and graduate students to obtain research experience.
By the time they graduate, almost 90% of MIT undergraduates have taken part in the school’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, which teams together students and faculty on research projects. In the most recent year, MIT spent about $675 million on research, with extra federal funds flowing to the Department of Defense’s Lincoln Laboratory at MIT, which conducts research and development on
University Data
Total number of students | 11,415 |
Total number of academic staff | 1,392 |
Number of undergraduate degrees awarded | 1,102 |
Number of doctoral degrees awarded | 584 |
Number of new undergraduate students | 1,120 |
Number of new doctoral students | 568 |
Number of international students | 3,779 |
Number of international staff | 538 |
Number of master’s degrees awarded | 1,828 |
Number of research only staff | 5,116 |
Number of new master’s students | 1,615 |
Ranking
According to Best Global Universities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is ranked #2. Schools are ranked based on how well they perform across a range of commonly recognized excellence metrics. Learn more about our school ranking system.