European Universities Face Growing Competition as Asian Institutions Rise in Global Rankings

Education | October 9, 2024, Wednesday // 10:19|  views

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European universities are seeing a decline in their global standing, as their counterparts in Asia continue to advance, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025. The rankings, which assess research-focused institutions globally, reveal that Europe now hosts 91 of the world’s top 200 universities—a decline from 99 in 2019. This trend is particularly noticeable in Western Europe, with many institutions slipping down the rankings.

In the Netherlands, eight of the country's 12 ranked universities fell this year. Among them is the Delft University of Technology, which dropped out of the top 50, moving from 48th to a joint 56th position. Similarly, France saw 19 of its 50 ranked institutions decline, with ten recording their lowest-ever rankings.

Germany's performance was mixed. While the Technical University of Munich rose four places to 26th—the highest-ever ranking for a German institution—many universities outside its top five saw a decline. Switzerland, too, showed mixed results; despite ETH Zurich and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne maintaining their high positions, five of the country’s 12 ranked universities fell.

Asian universities are increasingly dominating the rankings. China is closing in on the global top 10, while top universities in Japan and South Korea are also climbing. For the second consecutive year, Asia is the most-represented continent in the rankings, surpassing Europe, which used to hold this distinction. Since 2021, 60% of the new entrants have come from Asia, while only 17% are from Europe.

There are, however, positive stories for Europe. Belgium's KU Leuven rose to 43rd from 45th, and Ghent University improved to joint 112th. Sweden’s Karolinska Institute climbed to 49th, keeping the country in the top 50, and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark returned to the top 100, ranking 97th—its best result in three years.

In Southern Europe, Italy’s University of Bologna entered the top 150 for the first time, rising to joint 146th. The country now has three universities in the top 200. Spain's University of Barcelona moved up three places to joint 149th. Finland, meanwhile, saw the University of Helsinki climb to joint 107th, while Aalto University re-entered the top 200, marking the first time since 2020 that Finland has two institutions in this elite group.

Elsewhere, Ireland’s Trinity College Dublin, Norway’s University of Oslo, and Austria’s University of Vienna all maintained strong showings within the top 150. Poland increased its number of ranked institutions from 37 to 40, though only one, Wroclaw Medical University, improved its position.

Despite these bright spots, the overall trend shows that European universities face increasing competition. THE’s chief global affairs officer, Phil Baty, highlighted that while some of Europe’s universities have risen, they must continue to work harder to keep pace as Asian institutions rapidly advance. Baty emphasized the increased difficulty of maintaining a ranking position, given the growing number of universities participating each year.

This year, the University of Oxford topped the global rankings for the ninth consecutive year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University followed in second and third places, respectively. In total, 2,860 institutions from 133 countries submitted data for the 2025 rankings, a 6.9% increase from last year. Of these, 2,092 universities met the eligibility criteria, while the remaining 768 gained "reporter" status for submitting data without qualifying for ranking.

The THE World University Rankings, which began with just 200 universities, have grown to become the most comprehensive and inclusive global assessment of higher education, with over 2,000 universities now participating.

View the full World University Rankings 2025 results.


Tags: European, Asia, university, rankings

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