
Each year, multiple sources release their “top universities” reports. Most students, parents, and educators are familiar with US News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” and other such rankings. However, an international report released each year by QS World University Rankings may be a worthwhile list to consider, especially for the brightest students that may be considering attending college in countries other than the US. The QS World University Rankings can be found at: www.topuniversities.com.
QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) based in London, UK is described as “ a leading global higher education company, with over 250 employees across 5 continents speaking over 25 languages.” QS is best known for publishing the QS World University Rankings - one of the most widely read of its kind. The 2018 rankings, released in June 2017, list the world’s top 959 universities and is based on the opinions of over 75,000 academics, 40,000 employers, as well as 12.3m research papers and 75.1m citations, according to QS.
The top 10 universities on their list are as follows:
In addition to an overall university rankings list, QS also publishes the QS World University Rankings by Subject. It names the world’s top university for the study of 46 different subjects. The reasoning is that the “majority of prospective international students begin their search knowing what they want to study before considering where.” The Subject report looks at 46 different subjects including Accounting & Finance, Art & Design, Economics, Engineering, Dentistry, and Pharmacy.
For example, the top 5 universities in 2017 for Pharmacy are:
1. Harvard University (US)
2. Monash University (Australia)
3. University of Cambridge (UK)
4. University of Oxford (UK)
5. University of California, San Francisco (US)
For the student looking to study at the best program, regardless of location, this website can be an excellent tool to start the college search. Christianson Tutorials has additional tools and resources that we can personalize to your intended major, academic focus, and other interests. Contact us if you would like more information.