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China’s Universities Are Hot On U.S. Heels As Investment Pays Off

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The U.S. is struggling to maintain its dominance of the global university market, as China’s investment in higher education is paying off.

Although U.S. universities claim the top three places in rankings released today, more than three quarters of its representatives in the global top 2000 have slipped since last year.

And while China’s highest placed university comes in at a relatively lowly 47th, it is now hot on U.S. heels, with the second most representatives in the list and almost all of them on the rise.

Harvard was named the best university in the world for the 11th time in the list compiled by the Center for World University Rankings.

The United Arab Emirates-based CWUR produces one of a number of university rankings, based on assessments of quality of education, employability, quality of faculty and research.

“While the results of this year’s study confirm that the United States higher education system still dominates on the global stage, it is a worrying time for American universities amid stiff competition from well-funded Chinese institutions,” said Dr. Nadim Mahassen, CWUR President.

While the U.S. takes eight of the top 10 spots, and with 335 has the most representatives in the top 2000, only 73 improved or maintained their positions, with 262 slipping down.

China is gaining ground fast, with 302 universities in the top 2000, up from 277 last year, and 96% improving their position. Tsinghua University remains its highest placed, moving up from 58th to 47th.

U.S. universities have been able to attract large numbers of international students in the past, with China accounting for around one in three of non-U.S. students at U.S. higher education institutions.

The higher fees charged to international students mean they account for around a quarter of university income and contribute around $39 billion to the economy.

But the number of new international student enrolments has been falling for the past five years, even before the impact of the travel restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

China’s rise in the rankings, as well as rising tuition costs at U.S. universities, could accelerate this trend still further, said Dr Mahassen.

“Chinese students might not find the idea of studying in the United States as attractive as before,” he said. “With international student fees from Chinese enrolments worth billions of dollars, this could have serious consequences for US universities.”

The decline of U.S. universities mirrors that of higher education in Japan, Germany and France, while U.K. institutions are also slipping back, albeit on a shallower trajectory.

“Based on current trends, and thanks to generous funding from its government, China is poised to overtake the U.S. in having the most top universities in the world,” Dr Mahassen said.

“Without sustainable investment in higher education, American and European institutions will not be able to maintain their current standards of excellence in the long run.”

For the U.K., the continued success of Oxford and Cambridge masks a wider decline, with just over half of its representatives in the top 2000 - 48 out of 94 - moving down the rankings.

The highest ranked French university was PSL at 19th, while Germany’s top placed institution was Munich University at 44th. Both countries saw 59 of their universities falling back, out of 77 for France and 69 for Germany.

Japan’s highest ranked institution is Tokyo University at a more than respectable 13th, but 92% of its entries in the top-2000 lost ground overall.

Today’s results mirror the two most influential university rankings, produced by Times Higher Education and QS, which have both charted the rise of China’s institutions at the expense of western universities.

Dr Mahassen also warned that Russian universities, already declining in the rankings, could be badly hit by the fall-out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have a catastrophic impact on Russian universities.

“Russia’s plan to abolish the requirements for its scientists to publish in international journals, coupled with the European Commission’s decision to stop joint research projects with Russia, could have a catastrophic impact on Russian universities,” he said.

The CWUR top 10 for 2022 (with last year’s rankings in brackets) is:

1 (1) Harvard University (U.S.)

2 (2) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.)

3 (3) Stanford University (U.S.)

4 (4) Cambridge University (U.K.)

5 (5) Oxford University (U.K.)

6 (6) Princeton University (U.S.)

7 (8) Chicago University (U.S.)

8 (7) Columbia University (U.S.)

9 (9) Pennsylvania University (U.S.)

10 (11) California Institute of Technology (U.S.)

Source: Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

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