Cambridge has held the number one spot for two years, but lost out to MIT. It was a tough battle, both universities have won several Nobel Prizes and produced academic greats.
Oxford was also in for some shocking news as University College London outranked it, and climbed to number four on the list above Oxford at five.
UK universities still hold four of the top spots, with a total of only 18 spots in the list of 100. That’s one fewer than in 2011.
The list was compiled by QS World University Rankings and six survey points: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, international faculty ration and international student ratio, plus faculty/student ratio.
The surveys were completed by over 28,000 employers and over 46,000 academics.
“It is vital that British universities maintain their positions among the leaders in the world both for research and the recruitment of international students,” said John O’Leary, the editor of the Times Good University Guide to The Daily Mail.
“Their own finances depend on it and both contribute large sums to the national economy.”
