QS World University Rankings 2026: Oxford, Harvard topple down, Stanford climbs up, check details
QS World University Rankings 2026: Some universities have either gone down with their ranks or witnessed a growth, as compared to last year's rankings.
The latest edition of the QS World University Rankings have been released listing some of the world's highly reputed educational institutions. This year too, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, United States, has surpassed all other institutions to claim the top spot.
Likewise, Imperial College London too is comfortably placed in the second place, as was the case last year.
However, there are some other universities that have seen changes in their latest rankings. These institutions have either gone down with their ranking or witnessed a growth, as compared to the 2025 ranking data. There are others that have not seen any change in their ranking.
In this article, we have identified 10 popular institutions and their latest QS rankings:
1. Stanford University - Climbs up
Stanford University in the United States has climbed up to the fourth spot from its previous sixth rank. The overall score of Stanford University is 98.9.
2. University of Oxford - Down
The world renowned University of Oxford is fallen down from its 2025-ranking. Last year, the University of Oxford was ranked third, while it secured a fourth rank in QS World University Rankings 2026. The overall score is 97.9.
3. Harvard University - Down
Harvard University, a dream institute for many study-abroad aspirants, has also seen a decline in ranking. The university has toppled down to the fifth spot from its previous fourth place in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Harvard University has an overall score of 97.7.
4. University of Cambridge - Down
The University of Cambridge has settled for the sixth spot in the QS World University Rankings 2026. In 2025, the university was ranked fifth. The overall score of University of Cambridge is 97.2.
5. ETH Zurich - No change
ETH Zurich, located in Switzerland, remains in the seventh spot, as was the case last year. However, there has been an increase in the overall score which now stands at 96.7
6. National University of Singapore (NUS) - No change
Another university that has remains constant in the ranking is the National University of Singapore (NUS). The institute has been ranked eight this year too, with an improvement in the overall score which has been recorded at 95.9.
7. UCL - No change
The University College London (UCL) is another institute that has not seen a change in its ranking. The overall score of UCL is 95.8.
Also read: QS University Rankings: Record 54 institutions from India feature in list, IIT Delhi ranked highest
8. University of Pennsylvania - Down
The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, United States has gone down to the 15th rank from its previous 11th rank. The overall score of the university is 92.5.
9. University of Hong Kong - Climbs up
The University of Hong Kong has climbed up impressively from the 17th spot to the 11th in the QS World University Rankings 2026. The institute has an overall score of 94.2.
Also read: QS World University Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi, Bombay among top 150, IIT Madras in top 200
10. University of Chicago - Climbs up
University of Chicago has also jumped up to the 13th spot from its previous 21st rank. The university has secured an overall score of 93.
Notably, the QS informed that close to 500 universities have improved their performance since last year, with the the biggest climber being the Sunway University in Malaysia, which has risen over 120 places.
For more information, visit the official website of QS World University Rankings 2026.
