6 Countries with the most top universities in QS World University Rankings - 2023

Congratulations on making your decision to study abroad! The world is full of opportunities and the right university can be the launchpad for a successful career. 

Indian students looking to study abroad typically choose English speaking countries such as the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. Some European countries like Germany, France, Netherlands, and Switzerland are also increasingly finding favor with a few students these days. However, the number of universities with English speaking faculty in these countries is still low making it difficult for foreign students.

According to the QS World University Rankings, the following countries have the most number of universities under 500

9 Indian universities feature in the list with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ranked highest at #155.

While several countries feature in the list shared above, Indian students prefer the following countries   

United States

The United States Universities stands as an epitome of higher education due to its academics, course options, and top-notch education. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA is the number 1 university in the world, retaining that position for the 8th consecutive year. 

• 5 of its top universities are ranked in the top 10 QS World University Rankings. 
• A degree from an American university is accepted everywhere due to its ever evolving curriculum that keeps up with our ever-changing world. 
• US universities attract talented faculty with the highest credentials from around the world. This helps in maintaining the diversity and quality of education imparted to students. 
• Hundreds of universities in the US compete with each other to attract the best minds, which eventually results in providing the best quality education. 
• US Universities are also part of path-breaking research and innovation and deliver more number of citations per faculty. 
• Given its large economy, the US universities are heavily funded with huge grants, endowments, and aid both from the Government and Alumni.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is the only other country with universities that can match the standards set by US universities. It has 4 of its universities among the top 10, with Oxford university ranking at number 4. It also has 17 of its universities among the top 100, second only to the USA. These numbers are set to improve with new 2-year post-study visa guidelines announced by the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson to attract more international students. 

• The Oxford and Cambridge universities are two of the oldest universities in the English-speaking world with them being there for 8 centuries now. 
• UK universities are renowned for specific fields like Engineering, Medicine and Business. 
• With 126,653 Indian students studying in the UK in 2023, the numbers have gone up consistently.
• Official organizations like the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education conduct regular assessments and audits to maintain and improve their education standards. 
• Given its healthy international students and faculty percentage, research capabilities and academic reputation with higher numbers of citations coming from its faculty, the UK stands second with the most number of top universities in the world. 

Germany

Germany is ranked 3rd among countries with the highest number of top universities under 500. This non-anglophone country is even ranked above other top study abroad destinations like Australia and Canada. Owing to its great research facilities, wide-ranging opportunities and innumerable course options mainly in STEM fields, more international students are choosing Germany to pursue their higher education. With the increase in its academic reputation, more of its Universities have ranked higher. 

• Climbing 6 places to rank at 49 worldwide, the Technical University of Munich is the number 1 university in Germany. 24% of its 40,124 students are international students. 
• Every major German city has at least 1 University ranked among the world’s best. 
• 14 of its top universities have ranked among the top 250 worldwide. This is an improvement from last year and is only set to improve further in the coming years.
• Germany’s top 10 universities which are ranked from 49 through 189 have high to very high research output as a common factor. 
• The average academic reputation of the top 10 German universities is above 65%, which is the most important metric in deciding its rankings.  

Australia

Compared to other countries, Australian universities see improvement of a whopping 69% in their rankings worldwide. This suggests that Australia is quickly rising to the challenge set by the US and UK universities. It also proves that it is the 3rd most popular study abroad destination. 

• In addition to providing a wide variety of courses, Australian universities are one of the top contributors to global research and are known for their research infrastructure and capabilities.
• A total of 24 out of 35 Australian Universities rose in their rankings. This was a similar trend since the past few years. 
• 26 out of 35 Universities have seen an increase in their international student’s strength. This is one of the main indicators for the ranking.
• 9 of Australia’s universities are in the 50 most internationally diverse universities. 
• All its 5 top universities are globally ranked below 50, with the Australian National University (ANU) topping at 29th rank. 

Canada

Contrary to countries like the USA and the UK, Canada encourages international students to pursue higher education and even to continue working in their country upon graduating. Due to this welcoming nature, more and more international students are thronging to Canada. This has resulted in more of its Universities ranking in the top 500 global list. 

• 17 of its 26 Universities from the QS World University Rankings 2020 have ranked under the top 500 universities. 
• McGill University is the best in Canada and ranked 31st globally. It also stands 71st in the world in terms of international student strength. 
• The University of Toronto, which is ranked at 34th globally, scores impressively for its employer and academic reputation. 
• All the top 3 Canadian universities range above 92% in terms of academic reputation. It is one of the key indicators considered for these rankings. 
• All the top 5 Canadian Universities below the 150 global rank, have a healthy score for international faculty and students. This indicates its welcoming nature to international students and diversity. 

A quick overview of the other countries:

New Zealand

With 8 universities ranked under 500, New Zealand punches heavily in the education sector for a country of its size. The University of Auckland is ranked at #87 and the remainder are ranked from 217 onwards. New Zealand’s English speaking universities, its proximity to Australia and welcoming culture continue to make it a destination for international students.

China

China sees impressive growth in the World University Rankings 2023. It boasts 28 of the world’s top 500 universities. While the courses are majorly taught in Mandarin, certain universities like Peking University and Tsinghua University, both located in Beijing, offer courses in English. Here are the highlights of China’s university rankings:

• 6 Chinese universities rank in the top 100 globally. 
• With an increase in the number of English-taught programs, there is a 63% rise in the number of international students since the past 5 years. It is one of the key performance indicators in the rankings. 
• The number 1 Chinese university is Peking University, which is ranked 12 globally. Tsinghua University is also ranked under 20 an #14. 
• All of its 6 universities under the top 100 have very high research output rating, another key performance indicator.

Singapore

Being a city state, Singapore has very few universities and thus does not occupy many spaces in the top 500 rankings. However, it more than makes up with the fact that two of its universities, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, are ranked under 20. 

European countries (France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland)

Several universities from European countries feature in the top 100 and top 500 list. From EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland to Universite` PSL, Paris, France, European countries with large universities attract the cream of talent from their region. It must be noted that most of these universities offer courses in their native languages be it French or Spanish or Dutch, meaning you may have to learn an additional language if you decide to enrol in these institutions. Even if these universities offer courses in English, which many of them do, knowing the local language will be immensely helpful for you as a resident student.

Russia

A country with a storied history of invention and discovery it is no wonder that Russian universities feature in the top 500. The Lomonosov Moscow State University is the only under 100 ranked university at #75. 

Japan

5 Japanese universities feature in the top 100, with the University of Tokyo the highest ranked at #23. Japanese universities are known for their technical excellence and rigorous research focus.

Now that you know which countries have the most top ranked universities worldwide, go on and choose the country and university you would like to study in. 

That said, while rankings give you a great idea in terms of how a university is ranked relative to others, you should still do your own research. Keep everything from the country, to courses, faculty and internship opportunities in mind. You are seeking an international education in order to build a career so it pays to do more research. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the task before you, our Student Support Team is here to help.