QS World University Rankings
QS

QS World University Rankings 2020

QS World University Rankings · · Methodology · Source: QS World University Rankings official website · Editorial Standards

The most widely referenced global university ranking, based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and six key indicators.

QS is the only major ranking system that weights employer reputation at 15%, with academic and employer reputation together accounting for nearly half the total score.

How does QS World University Rankings evaluate universities?

QS World University Rankings, published by QS World University Rankings, evaluates universities worldwide using key indicators such as International Student Ratio, International Faculty Ratio, Faculty Student Ratio, Citations per Faculty, Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, each assigned a distinct weight according to a publicly documented methodology. Data sources combine academic peer reviews, employer surveys, bibliometric databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, and institutional self-reported statistics, all independently verified by the publisher's research team. The 2020 edition assessed 1062 universities from 24 countries and regions, covering teaching quality, research output, internationalization, and graduate employability across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. QS World University Rankings recollects raw data annually and cross-checks results to ensure the rankings reflect each institution's most current performance in faculty strength, scholarly productivity, global reach, and student outcomes, providing a reliable reference for prospective students, parents, and education researchers.

Which are the top universities in QS World University Rankings 2020?

The top universities in QS World University Rankings 2020 are: University of Basel, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, University of Lausanne, Cardiff University, University of Vienna. This edition, published by QS World University Rankings, evaluated 1062 universities from 24 countries and regions using indicators such as International Student Ratio, International Faculty Ratio, Faculty Student Ratio, Citations per Faculty, Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation. Rankings reflect weighted performance across multiple dimensions; students should consider methodology differences and their own academic priorities when interpreting results.

How does QS World University Rankings differ from other ranking systems?

QS World University Rankings, published by Quacquarelli Symonds since 2004, are defined by their heavy emphasis on reputation surveys: academic reputation (30%) and employer reputation (15%) together account for nearly half of the total score, directly reflecting how scholars and employers worldwide perceive each institution. Additional indicators include faculty/student ratio (10%), citations per faculty (20%), international faculty (5%), international students (5%), plus newer dimensions such as sustainability and employment outcomes. In contrast, THE emphasizes teaching environment and research quality, ARWU relies entirely on objective research output (Nobel Prizes, publications), and US News focuses on research reputation and citation impact. QS is therefore particularly useful for applicants concerned with institutional prestige, graduate employability, and cross-border recognition.

Current edition: published 2019-06
No results found
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🇺🇾 Uruguay
🇻🇪 Venezuela
🇻🇳 Vietnam
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Total 1,062 universities

Per page

10
20
50
100
University
Country
151 University of Basel logo University of Basel 🇨🇭 Switzerland 50.0 86.4 100.0 37.8 91.3 30.4 25.0
152 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay logo Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) 🇮🇳 India 49.4 1.6 3.4 45.8 54.6 54.5 71.2
153 University of Lausanne logo University of Lausanne (UNIL) 🇨🇭 Switzerland 49.2 69.0 99.2 68.4 52.8 35.3 23.0
154 Cardiff University logo Cardiff University 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 49.0 69.8 79.1 52.5 37.9 48.6 38.3
154 University of Vienna logo University of Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria 49.0 92.5 98.3 26.2 17.9 64.4 47.3
156 Emory University logo Emory University 🇺🇸 United States 48.6 45.2 49.4 99.7 59.1 26.9 11.8
156 University of Minnesota logo University of Minnesota 🇺🇸 United States 48.6 18.8 6.9 31.9 58.2 66.2 26.1
158 Tecnológico de Monterrey logo Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) 🇲🇽 Mexico 48.5 18.4 98.2 89.5 4.6 36.9 88.9
159 Universiti Putra Malaysia logo Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 🇲🇾 Malaysia 48.4 82.3 58.8 73.2 20.9 44.8 44.4
160 École Normale Supérieure de Lyon logo École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENSL) 🇫🇷 France 48.3 20.3 59.5 97.0 47.9 35.4 10.4
160 National University of Malaysia logo National University of Malaysia (NUM) 🇲🇾 Malaysia 48.3 38.9 24.0 87.8 13.1 50.9 44.7
162 Hebrew University of Jerusalem logo Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) 🇮🇱 Israel 48.2 11.6 71.1 77.9 43.4 39.4 38.5
163 University of Bergen logo University of Bergen (UiB) 🇳🇴 Norway 48.1 10.1 88.6 79.5 60.8 34.1 13.0
163 University of Exeter logo University of Exeter 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 48.1 80.6 92.0 41.5 49.0 38.8 57.2
165 Universitat de Barcelona logo Universitat de Barcelona (UB) 🇪🇸 Spain 47.9 33.8 5.8 32.5 29.8 71.8 45.5
165 Universiti Sains Malaysia logo Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) 🇲🇾 Malaysia 47.9 46.0 37.5 74.9 17.7 49.6 52.5
167 UCLouvain logo UCLouvain 🇧🇪 Belgium 47.7 44.7 89.0 10.4 68.4 51.3 45.5
167 = Case Western Reserve University logo Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) 🇺🇸 United States 47.8 74.0 53.7 92.0 65.8 19.9 17.1
167 University of Florida logo University of Florida (UF) 🇺🇸 United States 47.7 13.0 18.7 74.0 29.6 50.9 48.3
169 University of Tübingen logo University of Tübingen 🇩🇪 Germany 47.3 32.1 59.7 89.4 17.8 46.3 25.7
169 Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg logo Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg 🇩🇪 Germany 47.3 48.3 64.9 38.6 50.6 53.0 24.4
170 University of Rochester logo University of Rochester (UR) 🇺🇸 United States 47.3 90.6 67.3 100.0 42.7 25.0 7.4
172 University of Bath logo University of Bath 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 47.0 90.7 98.2 25.6 56.0 36.9 63.0
173 National Tsing Hua University logo National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) 🇹🇼 Taiwan 46.8 18.0 24.6 32.2 65.8 47.5 59.6
173 Queen's University Belfast logo Queen's University Belfast (QUB) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 46.8 96.5 99.5 43.5 64.9 28.9 36.0
173 University of Waterloo logo University of Waterloo (UW) 🇨🇦 Canada 46.8 84.1 77.6 7.6 68.5 39.3 76.5
176 University of Otago logo University of Otago 🇳🇿 New Zealand 46.7 62.9 100.0 19.6 48.2 51.7 41.4
177 Sant'Anna - Scuola Universitaria Superiore Pisa logo Sant'Anna - Scuola Universitaria Superiore Pisa 🇮🇹 Italy 46.6 52.5 2.1 86.2 99.3 14.6 8.0
177 University of Bologna logo University of Bologna (UNIBO) 🇮🇹 Italy 46.6 13.5 14.0 6.0 46.8 74.7 46.3
179 Technische Universität Dresden logo Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) 🇩🇪 Germany 46.4 37.5 38.5 84.6 21.3 35.8 69.7
181 University of Liverpool logo University of Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 46.3 93.4 86.5 50.5 34.4 42.2 32.9
182 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi logo Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) 🇮🇳 India 46.2 1.5 3.3 23.3 80.6 46.8 63.0
183 Erasmus University Rotterdam logo Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) 🇳🇱 Netherlands 46.1 68.9 75.3 42.6 53.7 35.2 53.5
184 Indian Institute of Science Bangalore logo Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISc) 🇮🇳 India 45.9 1.8 1.5 53.2 100.0 33.3 16.2
185 University College Dublin logo University College Dublin (UCD) 🇮🇪 Ireland 45.6 64.4 97.6 31.2 42.4 46.0 42.6
186 King Abdulaziz University logo King Abdulaziz University (KAU) 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 45.2 60.6 99.0 71.3 38.6 28.5 36.8
186 University of Twente logo University of Twente 🇳🇱 Netherlands 45.2 83.0 94.4 39.8 81.2 21.1 35.1
188 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona logo Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) 🇪🇸 Spain 45.1 26.6 30.7 14.1 54.7 61.1 38.4
189 Texas A&M University logo Texas A&M University (TAMU) 🇺🇸 United States 45.0 12.7 20.3 13.5 50.6 60.9 59.7
189 University of Chile logo University of Chile 🇨🇱 Chile 45.0 8.4 10.1 16.3 14.5 71.6 90.8
191 Stockholm University logo Stockholm University 🇸🇪 Sweden 44.8 15.7 82.3 34.7 46.2 54.7 16.8
192 TU Wien logo TU Wien (TUW) 🇦🇹 Austria 44.7 87.6 75.0 8.6 78.7 32.9 57.7
192 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid logo Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) 🇪🇸 Spain 44.7 14.1 9.9 45.8 24.0 57.4 64.0
194 University of Aberdeen logo University of Aberdeen 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 44.6 98.2 95.7 39.6 63.6 29.5 23.2
195 Vrije Universiteit Brussel logo Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) 🇧🇪 Belgium 44.5 65.0 85.9 90.0 29.7 25.9 24.7
196 Waseda University logo Waseda University 🇯🇵 Japan 44.4 35.8 29.2 36.8 7.5 58.6 86.9
197 University of Göttingen logo University of Göttingen (GAU) 🇩🇪 Germany 44.2 26.6 45.1 66.1 24.1 51.2 19.0
198 University of Cape Town logo University of Cape Town (UCT) 🇿🇦 South Africa 44.1 40.9 71.3 28.3 44.4 47.5 47.6
198 University of Virginia logo University of Virginia (UVA) 🇺🇸 United States 44.1 15.8 14.6 64.3 46.1 39.2 46.6
200 Keio University Keio University 🇯🇵 Japan 44.0 11.3 13.2 62.2 9.4 51.4 77.2