THE 2026 rankings reveal nearly 2,200 universities, marking record global growth

THE announced last weekend that this will be the second time that more than 2,000 institutions are ranked.

These universities are from 115 countries and territories. The U.S. leads with the most universities ranked, with 171 institutions. India ranks second with 128 universities.

The other top five countries with over 100 ranked universities are Japan, the U.K., and Turkey. This year, Libya, Senegal, and Yemen are new entries, each with one university ranked.

THE views this as a sign of growing research capabilities and internationalization in higher education.

"It is wonderful to see that the exciting increase in research capacity and internationalization in higher education means that more universities across the world – particularly the developing world – are now eligible to enter THE's 'gold standard' world rankings, and that more are choosing to put themselves forward for rigorous, independent performance benchmarking to support their development," Phil Baty, THE's chief global affairs officer, was quoted by the publication as saying.

The number of universities ranked in the THE World University Rankings through the years. Graphics by THE

THE is one of the largest ranking organizations globally, alongside Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), and the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

The rankings are based on data collected by THE itself, along with surveys and information provided by the universities. To qualify, universities must offer undergraduate courses, conduct research in multiple fields, and have published at least 1,000 research papers between 2020 and 2024.

In the THE rankings, universities are assessed based on 18 criteria divided into five categories: Teaching (learning environment) accounting for 30%; Research (environment, volume, and reputation) 35%; Citations (impact of research) 33%; International Outlook (faculty and students), and Industry Income (innovation).

Yale University. Photo from the university's Facebook

THE is expected to release the 2026 World University Rankings on Oct. 9.

Last year, the University of Oxford in the U.K. ranked first, marking its 9th consecutive year at the top. It was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S.

The rest of the top 10 universities were from the U.K. and the U.S., including Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, Stanford, Caltech, California Berkeley, Imperial College London, and Yale.

Vietnam had nine universities in the rankings, with the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City leading the way, ranked between 501-600, and the rest between 601 and 1501+.