Times Higher Education has just released the 2025-2026 edition of its World University Rankings (THE WUR). Alongside QS and ARWU (also known as the Shanghai Ranking), experts recognize THE WUR as one of the three most respected and influential global university rankings. This year’s list features over 2,191 institutions from 115 countries, including twenty from Greece and four from Cyprus (see Table 1).
Based on the latest results, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens climbed 100 places compared to last year, now ranking within the 401-500 bracket worldwide and securing the top spot among the 24 Greek and Cypriot universities listed.
This achievement marks a major milestone for the University, which has demonstrated steady progress in the rankings over recent years. In particular, between 2018 and 2026, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has:
- Improved its position in the Research Quality pillar by 44%;
- Improved its standing in the International Outlook pillar by 20%;
- Ranked in the top 10% worldwide for Partnerships with Industry.
Table 1: Ranking and performance of the twenty Greek universities included among the 2,194 top universities worldwide, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2025-2026)
Source: Times Higher Education World University Ranking
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/latest/world-ranking
The ranking also includes four Cypriot universities: the University of Cyprus, in the 401-500 bracket, the Cyprus University of Technology and the University of Nicosia (501-600), and the European University Cyprus (801-1000).
The evaluation draws on bibliometric data supplied by Elsevier, covering 174.9 million citations to 18.7 million scholarly publications, including journal articles, reviews, conference proceedings, books and book chapters, from over 28,700 international peer-reviewed journals indexed in the Scopus database. All publications from 2020 to 2024, together with citations to these works recorded between 2020 and 2025, are considered to gauge how each university’s research contributes to, and spreads within, the global academic community across all disciplines.
General Information about THE WUR 2025-2026
The results published by Times Higher Education reaffirm the continued dominance of Anglo-Saxon universities on the global academic stage. The ranking evaluates more than 1,900 research-intensive universities worldwide, based on five key pillars: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and knowledge transfer to industry.
For the tenth consecutive year, the University of Oxford claims the top spot worldwide, demonstrating its enduring excellence in both research quality and international academic reputation. Next follows MIT, which maintains outstanding performance, particularly in the areas of innovation, research influence, and partnerships with industry.
Third place is shared between the University of Cambridge and Princeton University, both institutions boasting exceptionally high research quality, particularly in terms of research excellence. Harvard and Stanford tie for fifth and sixth place, underscoring the consistent presence of the United States at the top of the global rankings.
Seventh place goes to the California Institute of Technology, with a particular emphasis on research strength, followed by Imperial College London in eighth, which benefits significantly from research productivity and international co-authorship. The University of California, Berkeley, ranks ninth, while Yale University rounds out the top 10.
Overall, the leading ten institutions in the latest edition of the World University Rankings show a strong geographic concentration: six are based in the United States and three in the United Kingdom. This distribution highlights that research excellence, academic reputation, and international networking remain decisive factors for reaching the highest echelons of global rankings. Notably, despite the significant rise of Asian universities in recent years, none managed to secure a place within this elite group in 2025-2026.
Statement by the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos
‘Commenting on the 2025-2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, I am proud to stress that the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens’ outstanding performance stands as a clear testament to the quality and impact of its academic and research endeavours. Its steady rise in global rankings, while consolidating its status as the leading university in Greece and a key institution in the wider region, reflects the collective effort, strategic vision, and unwavering dedication of our community to academic excellence.
I warmly congratulate all members of our academic, research, administrative, and student community for their invaluable role in this success. The University of Athens will continue with responsibility and consistency to serve science, education, and society, further strengthening its international presence and expanding its multifaceted contribution to our nation’.
Speaking on the same occasion, the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Efstathios Efstathopoulos, said to Real FM:
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