What are the most Top Ranked Universities in the world? 
International university rankings evaluate the amount and impact of research conducted at institutions of higher education, the quality of teaching, the reputation of the institutions in question among researchers and employers as well as the extent of their international outlook. 
There are a number of university ranking system around the world but the most well-known ranking system are Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Ranking and the QS World University Ranking.

Most of them are uses following objective and robust indicators to rank the world's top universities:

  1. Quality of Education, measured by the number of a university's alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university's size
  2. Alumni Employment, measured by the number of a university's alumni who have held CEO positions at the world's top companies relative to the university's size
  3. Quality of Faculty, measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals
  4. Research Output, measured by the total number of research papers
  5. Quality Publications, measured by the number of research papers appearing in top-tier journals
  6. Influence, measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals
  7. Citations, measured by the number of highly-cited research papers

Here you will find more detail about Top 50 Universities around the world according to QS World University Ranking.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1861, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 168 acres.Located outside Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT focuses on scientific and technological research and is divided into five schools. MIT is dedicated to providing its students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community. MIT’s highly ranked graduate schools include the School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management, in addition to strong programs in economics, psychology, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics and mathematics. Distinguished alumni include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Please click on the name (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for more information about the university and ranking.

A place for learning, discovery, innovation, expression and discourse. Stanford University, established in 1885 and opened in 1891, is a private, comprehensive, research-intensive university, where teaching, learning and research are part of a single enterprise. Stanford's enterprising character draws from its Western location and from the legacy of Jane and Leland Stanford. Its areas of excellence range from the humanities to the social sciences, engineering and the sciences. The layout and character of Stanford's Quadrangle were developed by Frederick Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park. The 8,180-acre campus includes Moorish Spanish and French Romanesque architecture, nearly 700 major buildings and 93% of undergraduate student live on campus. It is located in Stanford, adjacent to Palo Alto, 30 miles south of San Francisco.
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Harvard, founded in 1636, is a private, Ivy League institution, is the oldest higher education institution in the U.S. Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. The University, which is based in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, has more than 360,000 alumni around the world. The university has the largest endowment of any school in the world. Harvard research takes place across a range of disciplines in more than 100 centers. The university is made up of the undergraduate college, as well as 11 other degree-granting institutions, including the highly ranked Business School, Graduate School of Education, Law School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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Caltech, founded in 1891, is a private institution. It conducts instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and, including its off-campus facilities, is one of the world's major research institutions. Its mission to train creative scientists and engineers is achieved by conducting instruction in an atmosphere of research, accomplished by the close contacts between a relatively small group of students (approximately 900 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students) and the members of a relatively large research staff of 1,000 faculty members. Because of its size, Caltech is able to offer students the advantages of a three-to-one student/faculty ratio and participation in what has been described as "a community of scientists, a scholarly intimacy that cannot be found anywhere else." Its 124-acre campus is located in Pasadena, 10 miles from Los Angeles.
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The exact date of the University of Oxford’s founding is unknown, but the school traces its roots back to at least 1096. Oxford is located around 60 miles northwest of London, and around 45 percent of its student body is made up of graduate students. More than half of Oxford’s graduate students conduct research as part of their study. Research at Oxford takes place in all four of its academic divisions: humanities; mathematical, physical and life sciences; medical sciences; and social sciences. The University of Oxford is made up of a central university; 38 colleges; and six Permanent Private Halls, which tend to be smaller than colleges and offer fewer subjects. The university and its academic departments and colleges, as well as dozens of external organizations, had made more than 900 scholarships available for graduate students.
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The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's top five universities, located around 60 miles north of London, traces its history back to 1209. The University of Cambridge is a member of the Russell Group, a network of research-led British universities; the Coimbra Group, an association of leading European universities; the League of European Research Universities; and the International Alliance of Research Universities. It is also considered part of the "Golden Triangle", a geographical concentration of leading research universities. There are six schools: arts and humanities; biological sciences; clinical medicine; humanities and social sciences; physical sciences; and technology. Dozens of academic departments and other divisions constitute these schools.
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Established in 1855 at Federal Polytechnic School, a century and a half later ETH Zurich are now considered among some of the world's most prestigious universities in science and technology. The institute has produced over 20 Nobel Prize Laureates, including the father of modern physics and the inventor of the general theory of relativity Albert Einstein. The university is commonly known as Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. With 16 departments that conduct solid academic interdisciplinary research in subjects ranging from architecture and biology to chemistry and physics, the university makes a notable contribution to the global science and technology industry.
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Imperial College London is a public institution that was founded in 1907. The university was previously a college of the University of London and became an independent institution in 2007. The science-focused university is made up of multiple campuses located in and around London. The main campus is situated in South Kensington, an area in Central London that is home to other cultural and educational institutions, such as the Natural History Museum. The university comprises four academic divisions focused on engineering, medicine, natural sciences and business.
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The University of Chicago is a private institution that was founded in 1890, located in Chicago, Illinois, in the Midwest region of the U.S. The University of Chicago is known for its location as well as its rigorous academic and enrichment programs. The school is located in the Hyde Park neighborhood, former home of past president Barack Obama. Obama taught at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. Students can choose from more than 100 majors and minors – such as history or environmental studies – and have visited Greece, China and France during study abroad experiences. The university has 89 Nobel Prize winners in its ranks.
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University College London is the oldest and largest college of the University of London, situated in the heart of London and was founded in 1826 – England's third oldest university and known as ‘London’s Global University’. UCL is a member of the elite Russell Group of universities, and part of the Golden Triangle alongside Oxford and Cambridge. Staff and alumni at UCL have won a total of 29 Nobel prizes, and 840 professors and 6,000 academic staff are dedicated to research and teaching. UCL students benefit from close associations with several major teaching hospitals, such as the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the Royal Free Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital.
University College London is currently promoting the idea of education for global citizenship in an attempt to make sure students are given the freedom and encouragement to explore ideas from different cultural prospective, while working on projects of international importance.
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Officially launched in 2013, the Comparative Asian Studies (CAS) PhD program was founded as part of a broader initiative to position the National University of Singapore as a leader in global Asian Studies. Attuned to Asia’s interconnectedness and its deepening integration at the local level, the CAS PhD program was established in recognition that future thought leaders would require a thorough understanding of Asian dynamics in breadth and depth. The programme is based within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), which is endowed with over two hundred scholars of Asia, leading international journals, Asian language instruction, research institutes, and a number of special library collections. Students accepted into the CAS programme benefit from the numerous seminars, workshops, and international conferences convened by FASS research clusters, disciplinary departments, and institutional partners.
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In NTU, URECA is the acronym for Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus, a university-wide programme to cultivate a research culture among the most able undergraduates. Though young by international standards, it is a unique opportunity for NTU undergraduates to touch, feel and experience research at a level not available elsewhere. The opportunity to undertake URECA is by invitation and only to the most academically able second and third year undergraduates. These undergraduates will be given the coveted title of NTU President, Research Scholar (NTU PRS). NTU PRSs are required to undertake a minimum of 160 hours of research over a 11-month period (August to June) in an academic year. NTU PRSs are eligible for Academic Units or stipend and other monetary allowances.
Please click on the name (Nanyang Technological University) for more information about the university and ranking.

Princeton University was founded in 1746, making it one of the oldest higher educational institutions in the U.S. The private university was originally called the College of New Jersey, but its name was changed to Princeton in 1896. The university is located in the town of Princeton, New Jersey, situated around 50 miles southwest of New York City. Some 8,000 students attend Princeton and nearly two-thirds of them study at the undergraduate level. Around 12 percent of undergraduates and more than 40 percent of graduate students at Princeton are international. Housing is guaranteed for undergraduate students for all four years, and nearly all undergraduates reside on campus. Princeton has six undergraduate residential colleges – communities that offer academic and social programs for students. A large number of graduate students, around 70 percent, also live in university housing.The Ivy League university is made up of an undergraduate college, a graduate school, the School of Architecture, the highly ranked School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
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Cornell University is a private institution that was founded in 1865. The Ivy League school is located in Ithaca, New York, which is about 220 miles northwest of New York City. In a recent year, Cornell enrolled more than 21,000 students, about 65 percent of whom were studying at the undergraduate level. The same year, around 20 percent of the total student body was international. Domestic and international students pay the same tuition at Cornell, and various types of university student housing are offered, including themed residence halls as well as apartments for graduate and professional students.The university has 14 colleges and schools, including seven undergraduate divisions in addition to graduate and professional divisions located in Ithaca, New York City and Doha, Qatar.
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Yale University, founded in 1701, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the U.S. The private university is located in New Haven, Connecticut, around 80 miles northeast of New York City. Roughly 45 percent of Yale students study at the undergraduate level. Around 20 percent of the total student body is international, with students hailing from more than 110 countries. More than 80 percent of undergraduates live in university housing, and accommodations are available for graduate students as Well. The University comprises the undergraduate college, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and numerous professional schools. Economics, political science and history are among the most popular majors for undergraduates.
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Columbia University is a private institution that was founded in 1754. It is located in the Upper West Side of New York City’s Manhattan borough. Originally called King’s College, the school received its current name in 1896. Around 30 percent of students at Columbia study at the undergraduate level and almost 30 percent of the total student body is international. More than 90 percent of undergraduate students live on campus, and there is some university housing available for graduate students as well. Columbia’s academic calendar is semester-based and the language of instruction is English.The university is made up of three schools that enroll undergraduates – Columbia College, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of General Studies – and numerous graduate and professional schools.
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Tsinghua University, located in northwest Beijing, China, is a public institution that traces its roots back to 1911. The primary language of instruction is Chinese, though there are some graduate degree programs offered in English. Tuition costs vary by degree program and language of instruction. The university's international students hail from more than 100 countries, with the bulk of them coming from Asia. In a recent year, 41 percent of the university's non-Chinese students were undergraduates, 29 percent were pursuing master's degrees, 9 percent were doctoral students and the rest were participating in shorter-term programs. Tsinghua University housing is available for both undergraduate and graduate students.The university comprises numerous schools and departments, which offer programs across a variety of disciplines: science, engineering, literature, arts, history, philosophy, economics, management, law, education and medicine.
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The University of Edinburgh founded in 1582. It is the sixth oldest university in the English-Speaking world and one of Scotland’s ancient universities. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh aims to deliver impact for society, discover, develop and share knowledge. As a truly global university, rooted in Scotland’s capital city, it make a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to the world. Edinburgh has won more than 12 UK best city awards in the last eight years. Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site covers almost 2 square miles and over 75% of all the buildings are listed. Edinburgh has more than 60 libraries per 100,000 people - that's more libraries per capita than any other city in the world.
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The University of Pennsylvania, also known as Penn, was founded in 1740. The private, Ivy League institution is located in West Philadelphia, and nearly half of its full-time students study at the undergraduate level. Around 19 percent of the total student body is international, with students from more than 100 countries. In a recent year, more than 40 percent of Penn's international undergraduates hailed from Asia, 20 percent were from Europe and nearly 15 percent were from Canada and Mexico. Some on-campus housing is available for graduate students as well.Penn comprises a dozen schools that focus on arts and sciences; business; communication; dental medicine; design; education; engineering and applied science; law; medicine; nursing; social policy and practice; and veterinary medicine.
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The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor is a public institution that was founded in 1817 and made the city of Ann Arbor its permanent home in 1837. The university’s campus is located just less than 45 miles west of Detroit. More than 40,000 students attend the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, and around 65 percent of them study at the undergraduate level. The institution hosts international students from more than 110 countries. Tuition costs are higher for out-of-state students. The academic calendar is based on a trimester system at many, but not all of the university’s schools. The primary language of instruction is English, but the university teaches more than 65 foreign languages. The university guarantees housing for incoming freshmen as well as offering a variety of housing options for all students.The university comprises 19 schools and colleges, including schools of business, pharmacy and social work. Some of the most popular majors for undergraduates are business, psychology and economics.
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