In the 2024 World University Rankings published by the British education magazine "Times Higher Education" (THE), the highest-ranked Japanese university is the University of Tokyo, which is ranked 29th. This is an improvement from its 39th position last year. The second-highest ranked university is Kyoto University, which is ranked 55th (compared to 68th last year). Other Japanese universities that made it into the top 200 include Tohoku University (130th), Osaka University (175th), and Tokyo Institute of Technology (191st). The improved rankings for Japanese universities can be attributed to revisions in evaluation criteria and the addition of the "patent contributions" category.
The University of Oxford in the UK has maintained its position as the top-ranked university for the eighth consecutive year. UK and US universities dominate the top ten, with Stanford University (US) ranking second and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) ranking third. Among Asian universities, Tsinghua University in China is the highest-ranked, coming in at 12th place, followed closely by Peking University at 14th.
Additionally, in Japan, Nagoya University is ranked in the 201-250 range, Kyushu University in the 301-350 range, Hokkaido University and the University of Tsukuba in the 351-400 range, and Tokyo Medical and Dental University in the 401-500 range. Among private universities, Shonan Tamaoka University and Keio University are ranked in the 601-800 range, while Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Waseda University are ranked in the 801-1000 range.
The 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
| Ranking (Last Year Ranking) | University name | Country / Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1(1) | Oxford University | U.K. |
| 2(4) | Stanford University | US |
| 3(5) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | US |
| 4(2) | Harvard University | US |
| 5(3) | Cambridge university | U.K. |
| 6(7) | Princeton University | US |
| 7(6) | California Institute of Technology | US |
| 8(10) | Imperial College London | U.K. |
| 9(8) | University of California/Berkeley | US |
| 10(9) | Yale university | US |
| 12(16) | Tsinghua University | China |
| 14(17) | Beijing University | China |
| 19(19) | University of Singapore | Singapore |
| 29(39) | University of Tokyo | Japan |
| 32(36) | Nanyang Technological University | Singapore |
| 55(68) | Kyoto University | Japan |
The Times Higher Education uses 18 indicators across five domains, including education, research environment, research quality, industry, and international flights, to assess and rank 1,904 universities in 108 countries and regions globally.
