Paris (AFP)
Harvard, in the lead for the 18th consecutive year, and American universities continue to dominate the Shanghai ranking published on Friday in which four French institutions, including Paris Saclay, make their first appearance in the top 100.
The first ten places are, like last year, monopolized by the Anglo-Saxons with eight American universities and two British occupying the top of this ranking of the best higher education establishments carried out since 2003 by the independent firm Shanghai Ranking Consultancy.
In first place, Harvard is once again ahead of its compatriot Stanford and Britain's Cambridge. Then we find the American MIT (4th), Berkeley (5th) and Princeton (6th).
The first non-Anglo-Saxon establishment with its 14th place, Paris Saclay also makes its first appearance in the top 100, as does the PSL University (Paris sciences & Letters), at 36th rank, that of Paris (65th) and Grenoble Alpes (99th ). Accustomed to the ranking, the Sorbonne grapples a few places to climb to 39th place.
In a press release, the French Minister of Higher Education Frédérique Vidal welcomed the fact that France now ranks 3rd in the world behind the United States and the United Kingdom and sees it as the result of the reforms undertaken in higher education.
"The efforts initiated to promote the influence of our universities internationally are beginning to bear fruit. These new university models are proving their relevance and are now recognized abroad, testifying to the quality of our teaching. and our research at the international level, "said the Minister.
The Shanghai ranking takes into account six criteria, including the number of Nobel and Fields medals among graduate students and professors, the number of top-cited researchers in their discipline, and the number of publications in Science and Nature journals.
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