BEIJING — Tsinghua University has climbed to sixth place in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings, becoming the first Asian institution to break into the top 10 alongside universities from the United States and United Kingdom.
The annual ranking, published by U.S. News & World Report, evaluated over 2,250 universities from more than 100 countries and regions. Tsinghua’s advancement represents a significant milestone for Chinese higher education on the global stage.
Top performers
Harvard University maintained its position at the top of the rankings, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University in the second and third positions. Oxford University and Cambridge University from the United Kingdom secured fourth and fifth places respectively.
The 2026-2027 edition placed six American universities and three British universities among the global top 10. Tsinghua’s ranking of sixth marks a notable improvement from its 11th place position in the previous year’s assessment.
Chinese Higher Education Landscape
A total of 409 Chinese mainland universities appeared in the rankings this year, with 11 institutions reaching the top 100 globally. Peking University ranked 19th, while Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Fudan University placed 35th, 37th, and 49th respectively.
Other Chinese mainland institutions in the global top 100 include the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (53rd), University of Science and Technology of China (59th), Sun Yat-sen University (74th), Nanjing University (77th), Wuhan University (85th), and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (92nd).
Several universities showed significant year-over-year improvements. Wuhan University climbed five positions, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University jumped from the 46th to the 37th position.