China has surpassed the United States in the latest Global 2000 university rankings by the Center for World University Rankings, marking a historic shift in higher education dominance. Chinese institutions now account for 17 percent of the list, up from 324 last year to 346 this year, while the number of ranked U.S. universities dropped from 329 to 319.
The World University Rankings 2025, released on Monday, reveal that 98 percent of Chinese universities improved their positions — a surge attributed to enhanced research performance and sustained government investment in higher education.
Tsinghua University rose six spots to No 37, excelling in employability and research despite a slight dip in education quality. Peking University advanced three places to 44th, while the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences jumped four spots to 46th — surpassing Shanghai Jiao Tong University at No 61 and Zhejiang University in 68th position.
Rounding out China's top 10 are Fudan University (73rd), Sun Yat-sen University (95th), the University of Science and Technology of China (96th), the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (98th), and Nanjing University (129th).
Nadim Mahassen, president of the Center for World University Rankings, said China is well represented among the world's top universities, and further financial backing from the government will allow the country to be more competitive in the rapidly evolving global academic landscape.
Although the U.S. still claims eight of the world's top 10 universities — led by Harvard, MIT and Stanford — 83 percent of its institutions declined in rank. Only 40 U.S. universities improved, while 15 held their positions and 264 dropped. The United Kingdom's Cambridge and Oxford secured fourth and fifth places, respectively.
Mahassen said while the U.S. still boasts the top universities in the world, the decline of the vast majority of its higher education institutions is concerning.
"At a time when Chinese universities are reaping the rewards of years of generous financial support from their government, American institutions are grappling with slashed federal funding and disputes over academic freedom and free speech," he said.
Recent controversies, such as the Trump administration's revoked enrollment of international students at Harvard — later blocked by a federal judge — highlight the challenges facing the U.S. higher education.
Mahassen emphasized that the sharp decline of U.S. universities parallels that of institutions in Japan, France and Germany, while UK and Russian universities have fared only slightly better.
"With the extraordinary rise of Chinese institutions, universities in the Western world cannot afford to stand still and rest on their laurels," Mahassen said.
According to the rankings, Japan has the third-most representatives on the list, ahead of the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
While the University of Tokyo is still the highest-ranked institution in Asia, at 13th worldwide, 91 percent of Japan's 107 representatives lost ground this year. In the UK, 75 percent of institutions declined in the rankings.
This year's rankings evaluated 21,462 universities across 94 countries, assessing education quality, employability, faculty and research based on 74 million data points, according to the Center for World University Rankings.
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