A university league table has revealed only two UK universities in its top 10, while the rest of the top spots were dominated by U.S. higher education institutions.
The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), which published its global rankings on May 15, evaluated universities around the world on four measures: education, employability, faculty, and research.
Harvard topped the list at number one spot, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. The two UK institutions that made it to the top 10 were the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
The University of Cambridge secured the title of the top public university in the world for the 10th year in a row.
Education Spending
Mahassen also suggested that Britain should attract top academics and students for its universities and increase enrolment numbers at universities, because they come along with increases in teaching capacity, he added.The UK should also ensure that tertiary education expenditure as a percentage of the national GDP steadily grows in the years to come, the CWUR president said.
In 2020–2021 there was a sharp increase in government expenditure on education of 0.5 percentage points to 4.4 percent, combined with a sharp cut in GDP owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the past two decades, however, education spending experienced a decline after peaking in 2009 and 2010, dropping to below 3.9 percent in 2018–19, its lowest level for almost two decades.
UK universities have been also struggling with staff discontentment over pay, working conditions, and pensions, with a marking and assessment boycott taking place at 145 institutions in April this year.
Compare and Contrast
According to CWUR ratings, the UK remained the powerhouse of Europe, coming ahead of France, Germany, Austria, and other European countries on the list.Cambridge and Oxford were followed by London universities, including University College London, Imperial College London, and King’s College London. University of Edinburgh was the sixth UK university on the list, holding the 48th spot, while the University of Manchester was placed at 50. The top 100 includes the University of Birmingham at 84 and University of Bristol at 93.
The overall number of UK institutions in the top 2,000 was lower at 93 than those in the United States, China, and Japan.
The United States dominated the top 10 list and is the most-represented country in the top 2,000, with 332 universities. CWUR reported that Harvard, Stanford, and MIT are the most cited universities in the world, and all Ivy League institutions featured in the top 70 this year.
The number of universities in the top 2,000 for China is 314, and 114 for Japan. All C9 League institutions in China showed improved performance, said CWUR. Japan’s University of Tokyo secured the 13th place in the list.
Russia, led by Moscow State University at number 217, features 43 institutions in the top 2,000. Elsewhere, the University of Melbourne ranks first in Oceania, the University of Sao Paulo tops Latin America, and the University of Cape Town ranks highest in Africa.
“While the results of this year’s study confirm that the United States has the top higher education system in the world, the broader story for the U.S. is concerning, with nearly 80 percent of American universities falling down the standings,” said Mahassen in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.
“The overall slide of U.S. universities mirrors those of French, German, and Japanese institutions, while the declines of UK and Russian universities have been less severe.
“With Chinese institutions challenging their Western counterparts, American and European universities cannot afford to rest on their laurels,” Mahassen said.
A total of 2,000 universities from 95 countries was listed by the CWUR, which is based in the United Arab Emirates.
