Caltech Ranks No. 1 in World University Rankings

Pasadena’s California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has been ranked as Number 1 among a list of the best 800 universities and colleges worldwide, according to the UK’s Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-2016.

The University of Oxford in the U.K ranked Number 2 in the list.

This year’s list of the best universities in the world features 147 of the top universities in the US – with 63 American universities making the top 200 of the list. Fourteen institutions in California were included in the ranking, making it the most represented state in the THE U.S. universities list. New York State has 12 institutions in the list, Texas has nine and Massachusetts has eight.

Founded in 2004, the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings provide a definitive list of the world’s best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, international outlook, reputation and more. THE’s data are trusted by governments and universities and are a vital resource for students.

Fourteen institutions in California were included in the ranking, making it the most represented state in the THE U.S. universities list. New York State has 12 institutions in the list, Texas has nine and Massachusetts has eight.

The other universities in the Top Ten include Stanford University, US; University of Cambridge, UK; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US; Harvard University, US; Princeton University, US; Imperial College London, UK; ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland; and the University of Chicago, US.

THE released the world ranking preliminary to the launch in September of a new and pioneering college ranking for America, underpinned by the launch this week of a major national student engagement survey.

The upcoming U.S. college ranking was developed after a year of consultation by THE’s senior data and editorial teams with key U.S. sector bodies and experts, which concluded that the current range of university and college rankings in the U.S. are not fit for purpose.

Relative to the tiny size of the student population, Caltech has an impressive number of wildly successful graduates and affiliates, including 34 Nobel prizewinners, six Turing Award winners, five Fields Medalists and a number of national awards.
Only 2,243 students are enrolled at Caltech, and the primary campus in Pasadena covers 124 acres. Almost all undergraduates live on campus.

Caltech focuses on science and engineering and appears in the top 5 in the 2016 ranking for engineering and technology, physical science, and life sciences.

In addition to Nobel laureates and top researchers, the Caltech alumni community also includes a number of politicians and public advisers, particularly in positions that deal with science, technology and energy.

All first-year students belong to one of four houses as part of the university’s alternative model to fraternities. There are a number of house traditions and events associated with each house.

The university has the highest proportion of students who continue on to pursue a PhD, and the trope of the Caltech postgraduate has filtered into popular culture; all the main characters in the TV comedy “The Big Bang Theory” work or study at Caltech.

To see the World University Ranking list, visit www.timeshighereducation.com.