World University Rankings: Where Does Greece Stand?

Greece has seen eight of its universities in the prestigious ranking of the world’s top one thousand institutions. The recently unveiled Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2024 encompass a comprehensive assessment of 1,904 universities spanning across 108 countries and regions.

Eight Greek Universities in Top 1000 Rankings

Two Greek universities claim similar positions in this ranking. The University of Crete, boasting 14,100 students, shares the highest ranking with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which boasts 67,900 students. Both of these esteemed institutions fall within the 501 to 600 range.

Following closely behind are Harokopio University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens, which have secured positions in the 601 to 800 range, with approximately 3,000 and 13,500 students enrolled, respectively.

Additionally, four more Greek higher education institutions have earned spots between 801 and 1,000. Among them are the University of the Aegean, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Athens University of Economics and Business, and the University of Patras. Among these, Aristotle University stands out as the largest, accommodating nearly 50,000 students across its various faculties.

Simultaneously, the rankings shed light on a relatively low percentage of foreign students in Greek universities. Among the eight institutions, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens boasts the highest rate, with eleven percent of its students coming from abroad, while the University of the Aegean has the smallest percentage, with just one percent of its student body hailing from other countries.

American and British universities dominate the list

The 2024 Ranking edition, the largest ever, assessed 1,904 universities from 108 countries and regions based on eighteen performance indicators that mirror their core missions. The ranking clearly demonstrates a mix of British and American dominance in the realm of higher education.

For the eighth year in a row, the @uniofoxford tops the World University Rankings. @Stanford replaces @Harvard to rake second place. #THEUniRankings https://t.co/I1oeKjmwbW pic.twitter.com/rbC13vHC25

— World University Rankings (@THEworldunirank) September 27, 2023

As for the first place of the ranking, Oxford University in the United Kingdom has claimed the top spot for an eighth consecutive year. Stanford University in the United States secured the second position. The third place in the rankings was clinched by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Harvard University, the University of Cambridge (UK), Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Imperial College London, the University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University complete the elite top 10.

Analysis and New Universities in the Ranking

The 2024 World University Rankings utilized the innovative WUR 3.0 methodology. It was backed by eighteen crafted performance indicators, assessing universities in areas such as teaching, research quality, and international engagement.

This year’s analysis considered over 134 million citations from 16.5 million research publications and received input from 68,402 scholars globally. It compiled data from 2,673 institutions, painting a comprehensive picture of the academic landscape.

The United States leads with 169 institutions overall and 56 in the top 200, while India surpasses China with 91 represented institutions.

Notably, four European countries make their debut in the rankings: Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Armenia. This underscores significant shifts in global higher education dynamics.