2026 QS World University Rankings: U.S. and China on the rise; Italy and Saudi Arabia entering top 100

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.) arrives first for the fourteenth consecutive year in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, published on 19/06/2025 by Quacquarelli Symonds. MIT is followed by Imperial College London (UK) in second place and Stanford University (U.S.) in third, climbing three ranks.

"This year’s ranking is the largest ever, featuring more than 1500 universities across 106 countries and territories. The United States is the most represented higher education system, with 192 ranked universities, followed by the UK with 90 and Mainland China with 72", notes QS.

This year is marked by two countries entering the top 100: Italy, with Politecnico di Milano, ranked 98^th, and Saudi Arabia, with King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, climbing 34 positions to place 67^th.

Several countries are also seeing improvements in their institutions' performance. The U.S. is experiencing mainly rising university rankings for the first time in seven years, and China is also reporting improved rankings.

"Higher education remains one of humanity’s most powerful tools for…