Why study abroad?
Where and what to study?
How do I apply?
After receiving an offer
Prepare to depart
Arrive and thrive
image

What are the 2025 QS World University Rankings?

Topics covered

    How are the world’s best universities ranked, and what do systems like the QS World University Rankings consider in the top institutions?

    Globally recognised and produced by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education publisher, the QS World University Rankings is one of the most widely read and reputable university ranking systems.

    It has consistently based its ranking methodology on key metrics including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio and international student ratio. Three new metrics were recently introduced—international research network, employment outcomes and sustainability. All metrics contribute a percentage towards an institution’s final score.

    The results come from the analysis of millions of academic papers, and expert opinions of over 250,000 academics and employers.

    QS ranking metrics explained

    Academic reputation (30%)

    Carrying the heaviest weightage, the academic reputation metric is based on a survey of faculty members, researchers, and professionals in academia from around the world, who nominate institutions based on academic excellence, research quality, impact and innovation.

    Employer reputation (15%)

    This metric evaluates the reputation of a university among employers, an indicator of employability of students. A survey sent to thousands of employers around the world collates their ratings of the best universities for producing relevant graduates.

    Faculty/student ratio (10%)

    QS looks at the ratio of faculty to students as an indicator of the learning and teaching environment in an institution. The more academic staff resource available to students, such as teaching and curriculum development, the better the experience expected.

    Citations per faculty (20%)

    To determine this metric, QS evaluates the number of academic citations in papers an institute produces, factoring in the size of the university, across a five-year period.

    QS also performs a normalisation to keep the influence of research broadly equal for the different academic fields, considering that certain fields publish more papers than others.

    International student ratio and international faculty ratio (5% each)

    These metrics show how effective the institute is in attracting faculty members and students from all over the world. With a sizeable number of international faculty and students, an institution would offer a multicultural environment and benefits from diversity, networking and cultural exchanges.

    International Research Network (5%)

    An indicator of the quality of an institution’s research partnerships and collaborations on the international stage.

    Employment outcomes (5%)

    Another indicator of employability, this metric measures an institution’s graduate employment rate and alumni impact.

    Sustainability (5%)

    Recognising the importance of social and climate issues to students, QS became the first among the major world rankings to include sustainability as a key metric. It evaluates social and environmental impact, with governance factored in.

    If you’re keen to find out about studying abroad in any of these countries, have a chat with one of our friendly counsellors!

    QS top 10 universities in Australia 2025

    Rank

    University

    Global rank

    1

    University of Melbourne

    13

    2

    The University of Sydney

    18

    3

    The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney

    19

    4

    Australian National University

    30

    5

    Monash University

    37

    6

    The University of Queensland

    40

    7

    The University of Western Australia

    77

    8

    University of Adelaide

    82

    9

    University of Technology Sydney

    88

    10

    RMIT University

    123

    QS top universities in New Zealand 2025

    Rank

    University

    Global rank

    1

    University of Auckland

    65

    2

    University of Otago

    214

    3

    University of Waikato

    235

    4

    Massey University

    239

    5

    Victoria University of Wellington

    244

    6

    University of Canterbury

    261

    7

    Lincoln University

    371

    8

    Auckland University of Technology (AUT)

    412

    QS top 10 universities in Canada 2025

    Rank

    University

    Global rank

    1

    University of Toronto

    25

    2

    McGill University

    29

    3

    University of British Columbia

    38

    4

    University of Alberta

    96

    5

    University of Waterloo

    115

    6

    Western University

    120

    7

    Université de Montréal

    159

    8

    McMaster University

    176

    9

    University of Ottawa

    189

    10

    Queen’s University at Kingston

    193

    QS top 10 universities in the UK 2025

    Rank

    University

    Global rank

    1

    Imperial College London

    2

    2

    University of Oxford

    3

    3

    University of Cambridge

    5

    4

    UCL (University College London)

    9

    5

    The University of Edinburgh

    27

    6

    The University of Manchester

    34

    7

    King’s College London

    40

    8

    The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

    50

    9

    University of Bristol

    54

    10

    The University of Warwick

    69

    QS top universities in Ireland 2025

    Rank

    University

    Global rank

    1

    Trinity College Dublin

    87

    2

    University College Dublin

    126

    =3

    University College Cork

    =273

    =3

    University of Galway (previously National University of Ireland Galway)

    =273

    =5

    Dublin City University

    =421

    =5

    University of Limerick

    =421

    7

    Maynooth University

    801-850

    8

    Technological University Dublin

    851-900

    QS top 10 universities in the USA 2025

    Rank

    University

    Global rank

    1

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    1

    2

    Harvard University

    4

    3

    Stanford University

    6

    4

    California Institute of Technology

    10

    5

    University of Pennsylvania

    11

    6

    University of California, Berkeley

    12

    7

    Cornell University

    16

    8

    University of Chicago

    21

    9

    Princeton University

    22

    10

    Yale University

    23

    How to use rankings to decide where to study

    The QS World University Rankings are one of the most trusted tools for comparing top universities globally, and provide valuable insights into an institution’s academic reputation, faculty quality, employer recognition and global outlook, which are areas to look into when choosing where to study.

    However, rankings are just one part of it. Other crucial factors should be part of your decision-making process, such as tuition fees, career opportunities, university location and your personal goals.

    Let an education counsellor from IDP, a global leader in international education services, guide you for free to find the best university for you. If you’re ready to chase your dreams at a top university, tap the button below.

    One account for all your study abroad needs

    Create your profile and unlock a wide array of features including personalised recommendations, fast-tracked applications and much more.

    Related articles

    Search for articles

    Dive into our extensive collection of articles by using our comprehensive topic search tool.

    Select a category