World University Rankings 2004

  World University Rankings 
Published in The Times Higher on 5 November 2004

A first attempt to compare universities around the globe Editorial: Top performers on the global stage take a bow  
Students, academics and companies placing research contracts need to to know which are the best universities in the world. And the measures used to identify them are crucial, explains John O'Leary

Vital statistics
View the full set of World University Rankings tables here  

  
The Times Higher's analysis of the world's top universities shows that quality is not the preserve of any single country. Martin Ince explains how the positions are worked out

Intellectual cream rises to the top  
Harvard enjoys an embarrassment of riches - the nation's best students, the world's elite scholars and a vast endowment - but it is not without its critics, Jon Marcus discovers.

Wealthy set to challenge US while others languish  
An EU research are is fast becoming a reality, but Europe's North-South divide lives on, argues Martin Ince.

Bounty won by declarations of independence  
Freedom from central government control helped US institutions to claim 11 of the top 20 slots in the global rankings, as did an emphasis on biomedical sciences, observes Martin Ince.

West is best, but there's a rich feast in the East  
Citations might sometimes be lacking, finds Martin Ince, but numerous Asian and Australian unievrsities are well regarded by academics around the world.

Caltech's focus pays off  

Teaching provides a firm base  

<P align=left> Where the old show they are truly good  

<P style="MARGIN: 15px 10px" align=left> Download full-colour version
Times Higher World University Rankings PDF (331K) <P style="MARGIN: 15px 10px" align=left> Statistics section

View the full set of World University Rankings tables here
Acknowledgements
The World University Rankings were coordinated by Martin Ince ( martin@martinince.com </a> ), contributing editor of The Times Higher . He wishes to thank Nunzio Quacquarelli of QS ( www.qsnetwork.com </a> ), Jonathan Adams of Evidence Ltd ( www.evidence.co.uk </a> ) and their colleagues for their participation in this project.