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Shanghai Ranking 2016: top universities for natural sciences and mathematics

Academic Ranking of World Universities reveals its top universities for natural sciences and mathematics according to the 2016 subject ranking league tables, known as the ARWU-FIELD rankings

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    Carly Minsky

    September 7 2016
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    For the third year in a row, UC Berkeley in California has taken the top spot in ShanghaiRanking’s natural sciences and mathematics category in the ARWU-FIELD 2016.

    The ranking results reveal the 200 best universities for physical sciences and maths in 2016.

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    All of the top six universities are in the United States, with one UK university, one Japanese university, one Swiss university and another American university completing the top 10.

    Oxford and Cambridge are the UK’s highest ranked universities, at positions 13 and seven respectively.

    The top university in Asia is the University of Tokyo in eighth place, followed by another Japanese university – the University of Kyoto – just outside the top 20.


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    In total, 27 countries are represented in the science and maths ranking. Although none feature in the top 20, China’s universities are second only to the United States for the highest number of universities in the ranking overall.

    For students looking to study physics, chemistry, maths or related subjects, opportunities to attend a top university are spread all over the world; there is a fairly even spread of top-200 universities across Europe, Americas and Asia/Pacific regions.

    Five broad subject rankings were released on Thursday 8 September 2016 (Beijing time) as part of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

    The ranking methodology uses a number of indicators to rank 200 universities for each of the five disciplines. These indicators include alumni prize-winners and research publications in top journals.

    Top universities for Natural Sciences and Mathematics: ARWU-FIELD 2016

    World Rank

    Institution

    Country

    Region

    1

    University of California, Berkeley

    USA

    Americas

    2

    Stanford University

    USA

    Americas

    3

    Princeton University

    USA

    Americas

    4

    Harvard University

    USA

    Americas

    5

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

    USA

    Americas

    6

    California Institute of Technology

    USA

    Americas

    7

    University of Cambridge

    UK

    Europe

    8

    University of Tokyo

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    9

    ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

    Switzerland

    Europe

    10

    University of California, Los Angeles

    USA

    Americas

    11

    University of Colorado Boulder

    USA

    Americas

    12

    Columbia University

    USA

    Americas

    13

    University of Oxford

    UK

    Europe

    14

    Pierre and Marie Curie University

    France

    Europe

    15

    University of California, Santa Barbara

    USA

    Americas

    16

    Northwestern University

    USA

    Americas

    17

    Cornell University

    USA

    Americas

    18

    University of Chicago

    USA

    Americas

    19

    University of Michigan

    USA

    Americas

    20

    Yale University

    USA

    Americas

    21

    Kyoto University

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    22

    Peking University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    23

    Johns Hopkins University

    USA

    Americas

    24

    The University of Manchester

    UK

    Europe

    25

    Paris-Sud University

    France

    Europe

    26

    University of Washington

    USA

    Americas

    27

    University of Wisconsin-Madison

    USA

    Americas

    28

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    USA

    Americas

    29

    Imperial College London

    UK

    Europe

    29

    University of Science and Technology of China

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    31

    Rice University

    USA

    Americas

    32

    King Abdulaziz University

    Saudi Arabia

    Asia/Pacific

    33

    University of Copenhagen

    Denmark

    Europe

    34

    Duke University

    USA

    Americas

    35

    École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

    Switzerland

    Europe

    36

    Nagoya University

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    36

    University of Edinburgh

    UK

    Europe

    36

    University of California, San Diego

    USA

    Americas

    39

    Heidelberg University

    Germany

    Europe

    40

    University of Texas at Austin

    USA

    Americas

    41

    University of Geneva

    Switzerland

    Europe

    42

    University of California, Irvine

    USA

    Americas

    43

    Tsinghua University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    44

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    USA

    Americas

    44

    Technion Israel Institute of Technology

    Israel

    Asia/Pacific

    44

    LMU Munich

    Germany

    Europe

    47

    University of Pennsylvania

    USA

    Americas

    48

    University of Minnesota

    USA

    Americas

    49

    Pennsylvania State University

    USA

    Americas

    50

    Purdue University

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    Durham University

    UK

    Europe

    51-75

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

    Germany

    Europe

    51-75

    Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Russia

    Europe

    51-75

    Nanyang Technological University

    Singapore

    Asia/Pacific

    51-75

    National University of Singapore

    Singapore

    Asia/Pacific

    51-75

    Osaka University

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    51-75

    Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    Texas A&M University

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    Hebrew University of Jerusalem

    Israel

    Asia/Pacific

    51-75

    Tohoku University

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    51-75

    University College London

    UK

    Europe

    51-75

    University of Arizona

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    University of Bern

    Switzerland

    Europe

    51-75

    University of Bonn

    Germany

    Europe

    51-75

    University of British Columbia

    Canada

    Americas

    51-75

    University of California, Riverside

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    University of California, Santa Cruz

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    University of Maryland, College Park

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    University of Massachusetts

    USA

    Americas

    51-75

    University of Strasbourg

    France

    Europe

    51-75

    University of Toronto

    Canada

    Americas

    51-75

    University of Warwick

    UK

    Europe

    51-75

    Utrecht University

    Netherlands

    Europe

    51-75

    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Israel

    Asia/Pacific

    51-75

    Zhejiang University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    76-100

    Aix-Marseille University

    France

    Europe

    76-100

    Boston University

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    Brown University

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    Carnegie Mellon University

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    École Normale Supérieure

    France

    Europe

    76-100

    École Polytechnique

    France

    Europe

    76-100

    Fudan University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    76-100

    McGill University

    Canada

    Americas

    76-100

    Michigan State University

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    Nanjing University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    76-100

    RWTH Aachen University

    Germany

    Europe

    76-100

    Seoul National University

    South Korea

    Asia/Pacific

    76-100

    Sun Yat-sen University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    76-100

    Technical University of Munich

    Germany

    Europe

    76-100

    Ohio State University

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    Tokyo Institute of Technology

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    76-100

    University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

    Germany

    Europe

    76-100

    University of Florida

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    University of Helsinki

    Finland

    Europe

    76-100

    University of Notre Dame

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    University of Southampton

    UK

    Europe

    76-100

    University of Southern California

    USA

    Americas

    76-100

    University of Wuerzburg

    Germany

    Europe

    76-100

    Paris Diderot University – Paris 7

    France

    Europe

    76-100

    Uppsala University

    Sweden

    Europe

    101-150

    Aarhus University

    Denmark

    Europe

    101-150

    Autonomous University of Madrid

    Spain

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Hong Kong

    China-hk

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Curtin University

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Dalian University of Technology

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Delft University of Technology

    Netherlands

    Europe

    101-150

    Ghent University

    Belgium

    Europe

    101-150

    Indian Institute of Science

    India

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Iowa State University

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    Joseph Fourier University

    France

    Europe

    101-150

    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

    Saudi Arabia

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    King's College London

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

    South Korea

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Korea University

    South Korea

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Lanzhou University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Monash University

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    York University

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    Northeastern University

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    Radboud University Nijmegen

    Netherlands

    Europe

    101-150

    Shanghai Jiao Tong University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Soochow University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Stockholm University

    Sweden

    Europe

    101-150

    Australian National University

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

    China-hk

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    University of Glasgow

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Melbourne

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    101-150

    Université libre de Bruxelles

    Belgium

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Barcelona

    Spain

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Bologna

    Italy

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Bordeaux

    France

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Bristol

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    University of California, Davis

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    University of Exeter

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Groningen

    Netherlands

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Hamburg

    Germany

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    University of Innsbruck

    Austria

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Iowa

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    University of Leeds

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Münster

    Germany

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Nottingham

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Santiago de Compostela

    Spain

    Europe

    101-150

    University of São Paulo

    Brazil

    Americas

    101-150

    University of Stuttgart

    Germany

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Sussex

    UK

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Tennessee, Knoxville

    USA

    Americas

    101-150

    University of Victoria

    Canada

    Americas

    101-150

    University of Vienna

    Austria

    Europe

    101-150

    University of Zurich

    Switzerland

    Europe

    101-150

    Xiamen University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Arizona State University

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    Beihang University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Beijing Normal University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Claude Bernard University Lyon 1

    France

    Europe

    151-200

    Colorado State University

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    East China University of Science and Technology

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Florida State University

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    Hokkaido University

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Hunan University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Jilin University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    King Saud University

    Saudi Arabia

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Kyushu University

    Japan

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Macquarie University

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    National Taiwan University

    China-tw

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    National Tsing Hua University

    China-tw

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Northeast Normal University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Pohang University of Science and Technology

    South Korea

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    University of Valencia

    Spain

    Europe

    151-200

    Sapienza University of Rome

    Italy

    Europe

    151-200

    Swinburne University of Technology

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Chinese University of Hong Kong

    China-hk

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    University of Adelaide

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    The University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Hong Kong

    China-hk

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    University of New Mexico

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Queensland

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    University of Reading

    UK

    Europe

    151-200

    University at Buffalo

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Delaware

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Florence

    Italy

    Europe

    151-200

    Goethe University Frankfurt

    Germany

    Europe

    151-200

    Justus Liebig University Giessen

    Germany

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Göttingen

    Germany

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Houston

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Miami

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Oslo

    Norway

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Padua

    Italy

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Pisa

    Italy

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Pittsburgh

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Rochester

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    University of Rostock

    Germany

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Sydney

    Australia

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    University of Trieste

    Italy

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Valencia

    Spain

    Europe

    151-200

    University of Zaragoza

    Spain

    Europe

    151-200

    Vanderbilt University

    USA

    Americas

    151-200

    VU University Amsterdam

    Netherlands

    Europe

    151-200

    Xi’an Jiaotong University

    China

    Asia/Pacific

    151-200

    Yonsei University

    South Korea

    Asia/Pacific


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