Post by : Meena Ariff

The prestigious Harvard University has been overtaken in the latest CWTS Leiden Ranking 2025 for Science, slipping to third place. The top two positions are now held by China’s Zhejiang University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, highlighting the continued rise of Chinese institutions in global scientific research.

This year, aside from Harvard in third, the top nine positions are dominated entirely by Chinese universities, signaling a major shift from the earlier dominance of American universities. Harvard had long been at the forefront of global science rankings, maintaining a leading position for over a decade, particularly between 2006 and 2009 when it was ranked first. During that time, the University of Toronto held second place and the University of Michigan ranked third. In this period, the top ten positions were largely occupied by American universities.

In recent years, however, American institutions have seen a significant decline in their global standing. Six prominent U.S. universities that once featured in the top ten—including the University of Michigan, UCLA, Johns Hopkins, the University of Washington-Seattle, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University—have now fallen outside the top 15. Harvard itself was first overtaken by Zhejiang University in the 2019-2022 ranking and subsequently remained in third place for the 2020-2023 ranking cycle.

The CWTS Leiden Ranking, managed by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, provides detailed insights into the scientific performance of over 1,500 leading universities worldwide. Its Traditional Edition draws from the Web of Science database to evaluate scientific output and research impact.

Among Indian universities, VIT has claimed the top position, followed by IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras, showcasing India’s growing presence in global scientific research.

This year’s ranking reflects not just the rising influence of Chinese universities, but also a shift in global research dynamics, with long-established American institutions losing ground to rapidly advancing Asian universities.

#Global News