The highly anticipated World University Rankings 2025 have revealed that the University of Oxford has successfully maintained its status as the leading university globally for the ninth consecutive year. This achievement not only underscores Oxford’s academic excellence
But also sets a new record for the longest reign in the history of the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, surpassing Harvard University’s previous eight-year dominance that ended in 2011. Oxford’s remarkable performance can be attributed to significant improvements in its income from industry, the increasing number of patents citing its research, and impressive teaching scores.
Despite Oxford’s continued success, the broader UK higher education sector faces a troubling decline in its overall reputation. The World University Rankings 2025 data highlights a concerning trend, with both the UK’s teaching and research reputations diminishing. Specifically, the UK’s teaching reputation has decreased by 3%, and its research reputation has declined by 5% over the past year.
This data is based on over 93,000 responses to THE’s Academic Reputation Survey, which asks academics to identify institutions they believe excel in teaching and research. Currently, UK institutions command only 13% of the votes for teaching and 12.8% for research—significantly lower than the 18.9% and 18.1% share recorded a decade ago.
Irene Tracey, the vice-chancellor of Oxford, has voiced her concerns regarding the declining reputation of UK universities, stating that this issue is critical for the future of the sector, especially amidst a growing financial crisis. Tracey emphasized that it is essential for the UK to maintain a strong presence among the world’s top universities featured in global rankings.
Across the Atlantic, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has risen to become the highest-ranked university in the United States, now sitting at second place globally—its best performance ever recorded in the World University Rankings 2025.
This change has come at the expense of Stanford University, which has fallen from second to sixth place, marking its lowest position since 2010. Harvard University has also improved, moving from fourth to third, while Princeton University has ascended from sixth to fourth, demonstrating steady progress over the past decade.
World University Rankings 2025: top 10
| 2025 rank | 2024 rank | Institution | Country/region |
| 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 2 | 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | US |
| 3 | 4 | Harvard University | US |
| 4 | 6 | Princeton University | US |
| 5 | 5 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 6 | 2 | Stanford University | US |
| 7 | 7 | California Institute of Technology | US |
| 8 | 9 | University of California, Berkeley | US |
| 9 | 8 | Imperial College London | UK |
| 10 | 10 | Yale University | US |
While US and UK universities continue to dominate the top tier of global rankings, there is an alarming trend of declining reputations. In the past year alone, the US has experienced a 4% drop in its share of votes for teaching and a 3% drop for research. Currently, US institutions account for 36.3% of the teaching vote and 38.1% of the research vote—down from 44.2% and 46.5%, respectively, in 2015.
In contrast, universities located outside the US and UK have garnered 51% of the teaching vote and 49% of the research vote, a significant increase from 37% and 35% over the past decade. Countries like China, France, and Germany are emerging as key players in the global academic landscape, with Chinese universities alone capturing 7.7% of the teaching vote share, a substantial rise from 2.7% a decade ago.
Share of reputation survey votes
Simon Marginson, a professor of higher education at Oxford, indicated that these trends reflect the relative decline of US and UK universities compared to other global systems that are improving. He noted that the growing investment in education and research in countries like China and across Europe is contributing to this shift.
The World University Rankings 2025 serves as a crucial reminder of the evolving dynamics in global higher education. The continuing decline in the reputations of UK and US institutions highlights the urgent need for reform and increased investment in academic resources. As experts call for enhanced government support to fortify the sector, the future of higher education in these countries hangs in the balance.
