This year’s ranking is the largest ever, featuring over 1,500 universities across 105 higher education systems. The United States is the most represented country or territory, with 197 ranked institutions, followed by the United Kingdom with 90 and mainland China with 71. 

For the 13th consecutive year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) maintains its reign at the top. Imperial College London jumps four places to take second and the University of Oxford and Harvard University are in third and fourth place respectively. The University of Cambridge rounds out the top five.