One of the world’s top six universities

ETH Zurich climbs further up the QS ranking to make it into the top six of the world’s best universities and be crowned the second-best university in Europe. This is ETH Zurich’s best ever performance in a university ranking.

ETH main building
ETH Zurich, here its main building, has constantly improved in the QS ranking in recent years. (Photograph: ETH Zurich)

This year ETH Zurich has placed sixth in the QS World University Rankings – better than ever before. ETH has risen one place compared to last year’s QS ranking, continuing the upward trend of previous years. “We are very pleased about this great ranking. It provides yet more proof that ETH Zurich is on the right track in teaching, research and technology transfer, and it shows that we can hold our own against other top universities in an increasingly competitive environment,” says ETH President Joël Mesot. "Such success is only possible thanks to the excellent skills and high level of commitment of the ETH staff.”

The leader in continental Europe

The top spots in QS rankings have so far been taken by American and British universities. Once again, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has taken first place. Coming sixth in this latest QS ranking, ETH Zurich is the second-best European university after the University of Oxford and ahead of the University of Cambridge. ETH Zurich has been regarded as the best university in continental Europe for some time now. This is also reflected in other university rankings.

As ETH President Mesot points out, all universities around the globe know that such comparisons should be taken with a pinch of salt. “Nevertheless, we can be very proud. Particularly of the fact that the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology – ETH Zurich and EPFL – have placed very highly in all the rankings for years.” But he says that this success cannot be taken for granted. “Switzerland needs to work actively to ensure that the good financial and political framework for the ETH Domain and for Switzerland as a science hub remain in place in the coming years,” said Mesot.

The QS ranking is based on the results of surveys among scientists and employers regarding the quality of universities. Factors such as academic publications, the staff-student ratio and the universities’ international outlook are also taken into account. ETH’s reputation among scientists and employers has improved since last year. As these two aspects hold a particularly strong weighting in the QS ranking – together they account for 50 percent of the overall rating – this is likely a significant reason for the university’s improved ranking this year. 

QS World University Ranking 2020

published in June 2019

2020
2019
 
1.1.Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
2.2.Stanford University
3.3.Harvard University
4.5.University of Oxford
5.4.California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
6.7.ETH Zurich
7.6.University of Cambridge
8.10.University College London (UCL)
9.8.Imperial College London
10.9.University of Chicago

Other Swiss universities in the top 100 of the QS ranking are EPFL (new rank 18) and the University of Zurich (new rank 76). These two universities’ rankings have also improved since last year.  

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17 Comments

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  • Jeyatheepan Jeyaretnam28.05.2021 17:01

    Gratulation ETH! Félicitations ETH! Congratulazioni ETH! gratulaziun ETH!

     
       
    • Birabar Tripathy05.10.2019 10:15

      I hope ETH ZURICH will keep it up and will snatch the rank 1 one day. Best of luck.

       
         
      • Suvolina Ghosh15.09.2019 14:19

        Hearty Congratulations for this achievement

         
           
        • Djoni Sumartono26.07.2019 12:49

          Good news! Congrats ETH.

           
             
          • Andreas H. Tannder04.07.2019 08:32

            congratulations, meine alma mater, 1974 -1978, Abteilung für Landwirtschaft, dipl. Ing, agr. ETH

             
               
            • Jonas Eschle02.07.2019 07:48

              Yeah, congrats! But why is the teaching, administration and general treatment for students so bad comparably? Is high ranking and good teaching/administration/respect for students (who everyone once was) exclusively?

               
                 
              • Bai xiaofeng23.06.2019 15:31

                Congratulations ETH Zurich! I am proud of and grateful to you ETH !

                 
                • Linlin Fei18.01.2021 10:15

                  Congratulations to ETH Zurich. I am proud of being an ETH member! Hope her to be better and better!

                   
                   
                 
              • Rubén Mares23.06.2019 01:24

                Congratulaciones ETH. I am a Mexican citizen, former Professor at The Instituto Politécnico Nacional and I have estudiad with Profesor Andre Houriet, first Assistant for Theoretical Physics at the ETH. I am very proud for such great achivement, sixth place in the academic world. Laus et Honor to the ETHZ.

                 
                   
                • Bepru Netre20.06.2019 21:09

                  Congrats! The masters video worked out.

                   
                     
                  • Luisa Bitterli20.06.2019 15:05

                    Congrats ETH! This is a great achievement!

                     
                       
                    • Saeid Jalilvand20.06.2019 03:15

                      Congratulations ETH Zurich. I can never forget my years in ETH (class of 1976).

                       
                         
                      • Yuanzhe Gong19.06.2019 15:07

                        Definitely the best University in the world! Congratulations ETH!

                         
                           
                        • Ilse New19.06.2019 11:05

                          How gratifying! One cannot but laud, at this moment, the ever-growing future-oriented efforts of ETH - e.g. through ETH Foundation and the award system for outstanding research - to recognize, encourage and sponsor talent, brain and creative ideas among our scholars and scientists, which fuels this positive dynamic required to yield great results for academia and society.

                           
                             
                          • Raisa Wachter19.06.2019 10:48

                            Wonderful news! Well done ETH!

                             
                               
                            • Eni Hakrama19.06.2019 08:17

                              Congratulations ETH !

                               
                                 
                              • Moein Motavallizade19.06.2019 06:15

                                Nice. Best university