Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ranked Top U.S. University By Times Higher Education

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the highest-ranked American institution and the second-highest ranked in Times Higher Education‘s 2026 World University Rankings.

The private and independent research-based university in Cambridge, Massachusetts records an overall score of 97.7 and is placed below the University of Oxford which has topped the international league table of over 2,100 institutions for the 10th consecutive year with an overall of 98.2.

The U.S. dominate the top 20 with 13 institutions featuring, more than any other country. The likes of Princeton University, Harvard University, and Stanford University feature within the top 10, maintaining their high positions.

However, only 102 American universities made it into the top 500, the lowest figure since the annual rankings began in 2004. Many of whom have experienced a steady decline. 62 U.S. institutions have suffered a fall in the table with 25 witnessing their lowest ever scores.

The rankings are based on data collected from 2022 and 2023 and therefore do not take into account the recent effects of the Trump administration’s policy shifts.

List of U.S. Universities in Top 20

• 2nd: Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 97.7
• 3rd: Princeton University – 97.2
• 5th: Harvard University – 97.1
• 5th: Stanford University – 97.1
• 7th: California Institute of Technology – 96.3
• 9th: University of California, Berkeley – 94.4
• 10th: Yale University – 94.1
• 14th: University of Pennsylvania – 90.8
• 15th: The University of Chicago – 90.6
• 16th: Johns Hopkins University – 90.1
• 18th: Cornell University – 89.5
• 18th: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – 89.5
• 20th: Columbia University – 89.4

To view the full World University Rankings for 2026, click here.

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