The top spots of the QS World University Rankings 2018 are defended by the US universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Stanford and Harvard University. ETH Zurich is the only university in continental Europe that made it in the world’s top 10 universities. It holds 10th place in the ranking, only dropping two places compared to last year. The second best Swiss university is the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), securing 12th place.
ETH and EPFL ahead of many established universities in Western Europe
“In Switzerland, universities benefit from open, international perspectives. This enables them to attract highly qualified innovators and scientists from around the world. The ETH and the EPFL have both succeeded in remaining competitive universities, while many established universities in Western Europe have dropped down the ranking,” comments Ben Sowter, QS research director.
QS surveyed more than 75,000 academics and more than 40,000 employers in order to assess university reputation with respect to teaching, research, internalization and employability outcomes. The rankings were based on academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, student-to-faculty ratio, proportion of international faculty, and proportion of international students.
The Swiss education system enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide
In a global comparison, the Swiss education system has topped the rankings in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for years. Switzerland’s internationally renowned academic education is supplemented by direct, practical apprenticeships – constituting a dual education system. Several hundred professions are geared towards the requirements of the economy and Switzerland ranks among the best countries in the world as far as the availability of highly qualified workers is concerned.
