The 100 most international universities in the world 2015

World University Rankings data reveal the most outward-looking institutions

һ�� 23, 2015

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A university��s international outlook matters. How can an institution expect to attract the very highest calibre of staff and students if it fails to look beyond its own national borders?

Both the diversity of a university��s student body and the extent to which its academics collaborate with international colleagues are signs of how global an institution really is, and these factors are among the 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that allow Times �й�AƬ to produce the most comprehensive global university rankings in the world.

Like last year, THE has compiled a list of the top 100 most international universities using the ��international outlook�� indicator of its World University Rankings methodology. All the institutions that feature in our World University Rankings 2014-15 top 400 have been considered.

This measure considers each institution��s percentage of international staff, its international student numbers and the proportion of its research papers published with a co-author from at least one other country.

Here are the top performers.

100 - 71

Rank (2015)	Rank (2014)	Institution	International outlook
=100	=94	University of Nottingham	70.6
=100	93	The University of Newcastle	70.6
=98	N/A	Rice University	70.8
=98	N/A	University College Cork	70.8
97	98	University of Toronto	71.2
96	N/A	City University of Hong Kong	71.3
95	N/A	Dalhousie University	71.6
94	=99	National University of Ireland, Galway	71.7
=92	73	University of Copenhagen	71.8
=92	81	Deakin University	71.8
=90	N/A	Medical University of Vienna	73.1
=90	N/A	Bangor University	73.1
=88	N/A	University of Macau	73.3
=88	82	University of Portsmouth	73.3
87	96	University of Alberta	73.4
86	72	Newcastle University	73.8
85	88	University of Sheffield	74.8
84	52	University of Hertfordshire	74.9
=82	80	University of York	75.0
=82	=91	University of Reading	75.0
81	=86	University of Birmingham	75.8
80	84	Vienna University of Technology	75.9
79	=66	University of Bath	76.1
78	85	University of East Anglia	76.5
77	=75	University of Bristol	76.6
=75	74	University of Montreal	76.7
=75	68	University of Cape Town	76.7
74	69	Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	77.8
73	78	Delft University of Technology	77.9
72	=60	Wageningen University and Research Center	78.7
71	79	University of Glasgow	78.8

70 - 41

Rank (2015)	Rank (2014)	Institution	International outlook
70	64	McGill University	79.0
69	=62	University of Adelaide	79.3
=67	65	Universit�� Libre de Bruxelles	79.4
=67	58	University College Dublin	79.4
66	=75	University of Liverpool	79.5
65	=62	Monash University	79.6
=63	=66	Technical University of Denmark	79.7
=63	N/A	Aston University	79.7
62	71	University of Exeter	79.8
61	=44	University of Waikato	80.3
=58	57	University of Queensland Australia	80.4
=58	70	Durham University	80.4
=58	37	University of Wollongong	80.4
57	=60	University of Bern	80.7
56	56	University of South Australia	80.8
55	50	University of Melbourne	81.3
54	=32	University of Otago	81.5
=52	54	The University of Hong Kong	81.9
=52	N/A	?cole Normale Sup��rieure, Paris	81.9
51	53	University of Manchester	82.0
50	59	University of Southampton	82.4
49	N/A	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland	82.6
48	=39	University of New South Wales	83.5
=46	=32	University of Sydney	83.6
=46	55	University of Sussex	83.6
=44	30	Trinity College Dublin	83.9
=44	48	University of Leicester	83.9
43	?	KTH Royal Institute of Technology	84.0
42	38	University of Aberdeen	84.1
41	=42	Victoria University of Wellington	84.2

40 - 16

Rank (2015)	Rank (2014)	Institution	International outlook
=39	46	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	84.3
=39	49	University of Edinburgh	84.3
=37	=39	Birkbeck, University of London	84.4
=37	=34	University of Fribourg	84.4
36	51	Lancaster University	84.7
35	36	University of British Columbia	84.8
34	=34	Universit�� de Lausanne	85.1
33	26	Murdoch University	85.3
32	=42	University of Warwick	85.7
31	=44	University of Essex	86.7
=28	31	University of Z��rich	86.9
=28	24	University of Technology, Sydney	86.9
=28	N/A	Swinburne University of Technology	86.9
?	29	King��s College London	87.0
=25	18	University of Western Australia	87.3
=25	=19	University of Auckland	87.3
24	47	London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)	87.4
23	25	University of Cambridge	87.8
22	=19	University of Canterbury	88.2
=20	=19	Queen Mary University of London	88.6
=20	23	Queen��s University Belfast	88.6
19	=15	Brunel University London	88.8
18	=9	Macquarie University	89.2
17	=15	Maastricht University	89.7
16	17	University of St Andrews	90.5

15. University College London (UCL)

University College London

International outlook: 90.6
Rank in 2014: =12
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 22

UCL was established in 1826 to open up education in England to students of any race, class or religion. It was the first university in Britain to admit women on equal terms.

Describing itself as ��London��s global university��, the institution has students from 150 countries and boasts an international network of more than 200,000 alumni.

14. University of Oxford

International outlook: 90.7
Rank in 2014: =12
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 3

Academic staff at this prestigious English university come from almost 100 different countries and territories, while among its 22,000 students the figure stands at more than 140.

The University of Oxford is the oldest institution in the English-speaking world, and has educated 26 British prime ministers, including the incumbent David Cameron.

13. University of Vienna

International outlook: 91
Rank in 2014: 14
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 182

On 12 March 1365, Duke Rudolph IV founded the University of Vienna, meaning that the Austrian institution is celebrating its 650th anniversary this year.

More than 25,000 of its nearly 92,000 students are classed as international, and the university hosts 2,000 exchange students from all around the world each academic year.

12. Universit?t Basel

International outlook: 91.2
Rank in 2014: =9
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 75

Founded in 1460, this Swiss university is the oldest in the country. Today it houses Switzerland��s largest library, and can count philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Jaspers among its alumni.

=10. Australian National University

International outlook: 91.3
Rank in 2014: =7
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 45

Based on 145 hectares of parkland in Australia��s capital city, Canberra, ANU can trace its origins back to 1930.

It counts six Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni, and through its international partnerships it offers students the opportunity to undertake a seven-week internship in the US Congress or spend time studying at a range of locations in Asia.

=10. Curtin University

International outlook: 91.3
Rank in 2014: N/A
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 351-400

Based in Perth, Western Australia, Curtin boasts Australia��s third largest international student population.

Named after visionary Second World War-era prime minister John Curtin, the institution has more than 50,000 students across nine campuses, including sites in Malaysia and Singapore.

The institution was not eligible for this ranking last year as it did not make the top 400 of our World University Rankings 2013-2014, and makes its debut in the top 10.

9. Nanyang Technological University

Nanyang Technological University

International outlook: 92.5
Rank in 2014: 11
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 61

A research-intensive public university, NTU in Singapore has more than 32,000 undergraduates and postgraduates at its four colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

Its medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, was set up jointly with Imperial College London.

8. Imperial College London

International outlook: 92.7
Rank in 2014: 6
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 9

Founded in 1907, Imperial is a science-based university located in the heart of England��s capital city.

The institution has students from more than 120 different countries, and across all full-time new admissions to Imperial in 2013-14, 64 per cent were from outside the UK.

7. University of Innsbruck

International outlook: 93.4
Rank in 2014: =7
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 201-225

The University of Innsbruck was founded in 1669 and is one of Austria��s oldest universities.

Today, with more than 28,000 students and 4,500 staff, it is western Austria��s largest institution of �й�AƬ and research.

6. Royal Holloway, University of London

International outlook: 94.4
Rank in 2014: 5
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 118

Royal Holloway is located 19 miles from central London and has more than 8,700 students from more than 100 countries.

Just over 20 per cent of its students are from outside the European Union.

5. ?cole Polytechnique

Entrance to ?cole Polytechnique

International outlook: 94.5
Rank in 2014: 28
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 61

Nicknamed ��X��, ?cole Polytechnique is France��s leading engineering school and is located in the suburbs south of Paris.

The institution boasts economists Alfred Sauvy and Jean Tirole among its alumni.

4. National University of Singapore (NUS)

International outlook: 94.9
Rank in 2014: 4
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 25

NUS is Singapore��s flagship university, and has 16 faculties and schools across three campus locations.

Established more than a century ago as a medical school with just 23 students, the institution now has more than 37,000 students from 100 countries across the world.

3. ETH Z��rich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Z��rich

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

International outlook: 96.6
Rank in 2014: =2
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 13

Founded in 1855, ETH Z��rich today has more than 18,000 students from over 110 countries, including 3,900 doctoral students.

Albert Einstein received his diploma here in 1901.

2. University of Geneva

International outlook: 96.8
Rank in 2014: =2
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 107

Founded in 1559, the University of Geneva hosts about 16,000 students from more than 140 different countries, and is Switzerland��s second largest university.

It offers more than 280 types of degrees and more than 250 continuing education programmes.

1. ?cole Polytechnique F��d��rale de Lausanne

Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne

International outlook: 98.8
Rank in 2014: 1
Rank in THE World University Rankings 2014-2015: 34

Of the 10,000 students studying at EPFL, 50 per cent are from Switzerland with the other half coming from overseas

Our number one international university boasts more than 250 on-campus laboratories situated in 136 acres on the shores of Lake Geneva.

View the full Times �й�AƬ World University Rankings 2014-2015 results

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Reader's comments (8)

#1 Submitted by Michael James Barnes on һ�� 25, 2015 - 8:01am

THE is rapidly making a mockery of itself with its ridiculous obsession with rankings of all sorts, associated with idiotic methodologies and metrics devised by failed number-crunchers desparate to boost nominal circulation, and hence advertising revenues. What cretin can assert that LSE and Cambridge are less "international" than Brunel and Canterbury ? Give me a break, already ! Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, Arrivederci, Sayonara !

#2 Submitted by ChrisParrTHE on һ�� 26, 2015 - 10:28am

Hi Michael. We've been very clear with what this table represents - it looks at international research collaborations, and proportion of students / staff from other countries. On these measures, the results are as above - it might not be who you'd expect up near the top, but that's why these exercises can be so interesting! Of course our overall rankings take far more criteria into account, and the methodology is available on www.thewur.com, along with our main rankings tables.

#3 Submitted by tomcannon on һ�� 29, 2015 - 11:31pm

The weight given to overseas students is far too large and distorts the rankings.

#4 Submitted by comjc2 on �� 2, 2015 - 2:53pm

Tom Cannon - do you work for the UK Home Office per chance ? :-)

#5 Submitted by ChrisParrTHE on �� 3, 2015 - 2:19pm

Hi Alex. I addressed some of your points in a blog I wrote - you can find it here: http://owl.li/IpuxY Our overall World University Rankings are based on a much wider set of criteria than this "international" table. You can find the top 400, and the methodology, at www.thewur.com. Hope this helps. Chris

#6 Submitted by Waterbug on �� 25, 2015 - 9:28am

Dear Phil and Chris, I have to echo Michael's sentiment, though with less vehemence. The question you should ask yourselves is this: "do these rankings make a constructive contribution to the conversation about universities, or are we misinforming people?" The differences in the universities you rank (here and elsewhere) are, in some cases, so vast that a simple number distorts the picture to the point of absurdity. In other cases, universities that are extremely close in many respects are miles apart in your "numbers." In other instances, universities rocket up or down the rankings with no real explanation as to why. But most importantly, in _all_ cases, these are distinct and complex institutions, each with a unique history and character. They are not Hondas, they are not cheeseburgers, they are not Hollywood starlets. Trying to distil their identity into a single number is both reductive and disrespectful. By furthering the idea that a university's character and quality can be assessed so baldly, you are insulting those who work and study there and deceiving those who are evaluating it from the outside. Worse yet, since you are (intentionally) shaping taste with these rankings, universities are setting their own mileposts in relation to this artificial metric that only tangentially (at best) reflects the quality of research and teaching at the university. Ask yourself this: how would you feel if, as the editor of a magazine on cars, your ranking encouraged a major manufacturer design cars that conformed to your metric better in the short run, but were actually less fuel- efficient, and more dangerous to drive in the long run? This, in effect, is what you are accomplishing. Universities are implementing expensive, short-sighted, and damaging reforms in order to "raise their scores." These changes are, in the long run, harming all those who work and study there. The only ones who benefit are the upper management who have completely taken the false premise of it on board, and can now crow (and gain absurd salary raises) if their institutions climbs the rankings or cavil (and blame staff under-performance) if it drops. US News and World Report, in the name of crass commercialization, started this absurd trend. They will not stop because 1.) the "College Issue" is their best-selling one and 2.) they don't give a tinker's damn what the effect is. THE is doing itself, and �й�AƬ, a disservice by jumping on the same bandwagon. I know you hold yourselves to a higher standard and want to make a positive contribution to one of the most important civic conversations under way around the globe--how we should structure and improve our university system, to the benefit of all. So, I ask you once again, please desist. If THE set the example, hopefully the Guardian will follow suit and we can all get back to the vital task of genuinely improving HE and thoughtfully discussing the success or failure of different visions and strategies.

#7 Submitted by Elmira on ʮ�� 26, 2016 - 10:29am

Dear Colleagues, Could you please clarify if exchange and visiting students are counted as the body of international students for the ranking purposes? Thank you in advance! Best regards, Elmira Innopolis University, Russia

#8 Submitted by ellie.bothwell on ʮ�� 31, 2016 - 1:46pm

Hi Elmira Our definition of international students does include visiting/exchange students who are studying for programmes that result in credits at the relevant institution.

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