US takes the lead for having the most top universities in the world, according to CWUR

This year's rankings feature more countries than ever before

Harvard University has, again, emerged as being the best institution in the world with a perfect score of 100 (Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

The US has charged on ahead with a staggering 224 top universities in the world out of 1,000, according to this year’s Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) list.

The UK, meanwhile, has 65 institutions in the 2016 table, just behind China (90) and Japan (74), as the prestigious Oxbridge institutions are the only British ones to feature in the top ten.

In Europe, the UK has taken four out of five of the top universities - Cambridge, Oxford, University College London, and Imperial College London - as more countries than ever before feature in this year’s list.

Top 10 universities in the world:

1. Harvard University - USA (100/100)
2. Stanford University - USA (98.25)
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - USA (97.12)
4. University of Cambridge - UK (96.13)
5. University of Oxford - UK (95.39)
6. Columbia University - USA (94.12)
7. University of California, Berkeley - USA (91.35)
8. University of Chicago - USA (90.72)
9. Princeton University - USA (88.72)
10. Yale University - USA (85.83)

CWUR says it is the largest and most comprehensive academic ranking of global universities which publishes the only list that measures the quality of education and training of students, as well as the prestige of the faculty members and the quality of their research without relying on surveys or university data submissions.

The list uses eight “objective and robust” indicators to rank the world’s top 1,000 universities, including alumni employment, and the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals.

In addition to its annual rankings, CWUR also provides consultation for governments and universities.

Top 10 universities in the UK:

1. University of Cambridge (96.13/100)
2. University of Oxford (95.39)
3. University College London (60.54)
4. Imperial College London (59.40)
5. University of Edinburgh (54.03)
6. University of Manchester (53.74)
7. King’s College London (51.45)
8. University of Bristol (49.51)
9. University of Glasgow (49.36)
10. University of Nottingham (49.12)

CWUR president, Dr Nadim Mahassen, said: “In 2016, 60 countries - more than ever before - feature in the top 1,000. We hope to see more countries represented in the future.”