ETH Zurich continues to excel in global university ranking

An aerial view of Zurich's university district taken in August 2020. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The federal technology institute ETH Zurich has performed strongly again in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022. Seven Swiss universities feature in the top 200.

ETH Zurich dropped one place in the ranking to 15th, but it remains the top higher education institution outside the United States and Britain.

The Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in western Switzerland moved up three places to 40th in the table, published on ThursdayExternal link.

The University of Zurich also featured among the 200 best universities in the world this year (75th, down from 73rd), alongside the University of Bern (101st, up from 109th). The University of Lausanne climbed 15 places to 176th, while Basel and Geneva universities slipped to 103th (previously 92nd) and 197th (previously 149th), respectively.

The University of Oxford in the UK remains top overall for the sixth year running; the California Institute of Technology and Harvard University, both in the US, share second place.

Assessment

“While ETH Zurich’s overall scores show improvement and its scores in teaching, research, and publication citations increased, scores dropped slightly in terms of industry income and international outlook,” the ETH Zurich noted in a statement.External link

ETH Zurich was displaced from its previous rank of 14^th on the list when Columbia University moved up six places, the university’s rankings expert was cited as saying. There was also increased competition from two universities in China: Peking University and Tsinghua University, who follow the ETH Zurich on the list.

President Joël Mesot commented: “While ETH Zurich embraces the competitive nature of education, our focus is on the university’s long-​term strategy and achievements, in order to best serve society.”

Impact of Covid-19

The coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on this year’s ranking, THE said in a press release.

“Universities that published high-impact research on Covid-19 have soared up the league table, with China reaping the most rewards,” it said.

The 2022 World University Rankings include more than 1,600 universities across 99 countries and territories.

THE first published its university ranking in 2010. Along with the QS and Shanghai rankings, it is one of the most cited indicators of university quality.