U.S. Universities Fall Behind In Latest QS World Rankings

KUALA LUMPUR, 6.10.2021 – Several renowned U.S higher education institutions face a significant decrease in rankings in the 2022 QS Quancquarelli World University Rankings.

While the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) keeps the crown as the world’s best university, other prominent U.S. institutions did not perform as well.

For instance, Harvard University fell to its lowest rank ever with the fifth place. Additionally, American universities only made up less than half of the top 20 universities. This significant fall is backed by the statistics presented by Michael T. Nietzel, president emeritus of Missouri State University.

“Of the 177 American universities ranked by QS from 2022, 91 declined in rank (51.4%) while only 29 improved their position (16.4%) from a year ago.”

On the other hand, Asian and Australian universities are showing great improvement as they paved their way into the higher ranks of QS World Rankings.

On MIT’s ability to defend its spot for ten years, L. Rafael Reif, President of MIT commented: “We deeply appreciate the recognition of our institution and the faculty, staff, alumni, and students that make MIT what it is – and we also tremendously admire the achievements of academic institutions around the globe…We are proud and grateful to belong to this great human community of scholars, researchers and educators, striving together to make a better world.”

The remaining top universities after MIT are:

University of Oxford
Stanford University and University of Cambridge (Tied)
Harvard University
California Institute of Technology
Imperial College London
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and University College London (Tied)
University of Chicago

The QS Quancquarelli Symonds is a specialist in analyzing and ranking global higher education and academic programs. Ever since its establishment in 2004, the London-based company has since released 18 editions of rankings.

The future of U.S. higher education remains uncertain as the drop in rankings may raise concerns among potential international students planning to study there.

Eduloco is a student recruitment and study abroad agency that offers free consultation, Student Visa and university application assistance. To learn more about Eduloco’s services, contact +60 11-2069 9087 or [email protected].

Jocelyn Cheng

Jocelyn Cheng (JC) is an INFP writer seeking to spread inspiration and spark connections through her words. Her dedication to writing has gifted her with an ability to write for multiple platforms (e.g., website, social media, newspaper, magazine, etc) in different fields, namely Education, Travel, and Healthcare. JC personalizes her works by adding a touch of her own experience into the mix whenever she can to relate to her readers. A self-proclaimed poet and currently a freelance writer, she's working on an untitled poetry book at home while juggling between writing for Eduloco, dancing, and keeping her only plant alive.