Uppsala University takes 11th place in sustainability

This is the 20th edition of the QS World University Rankings. The international ranking covers 1,500 institutions in 104 locations and is the only ranking of its kind to emphasise employability and sustainability.

Among the Nordic universities, Sweden has the highest average scores in four out of nine indicators. Sweden is the only country in the Nordic region to have not one but two top 100 rankings: KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 74th place and Lund University in 75th place. Uppsala University comes in third in 103rd place.

Top results in sustainability

Sweden is the highest-ranking country in the Nordic region in terms of sustainability, with truly top-class results in this area. Four of the eight universities ranked are among the top 100 in the world in this survey, of which two are in the top 20. Uppsala University is ranked 11th, while Lund University has climbed six places to 8th.

Uppsala University also ranks in the top 100 in the categories “international teachers” (99th) and “international research network” (49th). Swedish universities generally perform very well in terms of internationalisation but less well in terms of student ratio and employer reputation.

Uppsala University's strength in relation to other Swedish higher education institutions is its reputation among academics, with only Lund University scoring higher, according to an analysis by the Planning Division at Uppsala University.

MIT retains top spot

So which of the world's universities come out on top? For the thirteenth year in a row, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retains its top spot. Imperial College London climbs four places to second, while the University of Oxford and Harvard University remain in third and fourth place respectively.

Annica Hulth