The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top spot in the 2013-14 annual QS World University Rankings, beating out Harvard University and the University of Cambridge.
The QS rankings are based on six differently weighted indicators, the most crucial being academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, and citations per faculty, according to the organization’s website. Employer reputation, the proportion of international students, and the proportion of international faculty are also taken into account.
As was the case in 2012-13, American schools took six of the top 10 spots, with the other four held by those in the U.K.
The new rankings placed the University of Toronto as Canada’s top school at 17th worldwide, beating out McGill University for the first time since the QS rankings were launched in 2004.
McGill, which had been ranked 18th last year, went down three spots, placing 21st.
The rankings didn’t look much better for Carleton University than in past years, ranking in 501-550 range.
Carleton had been ranked in the 300s from 2007-2009, slipping to the late 400s in 2011 and in the 501-550 range thereon, according to past QS rankings.
Among the over 800 universities that were ranked this year, only three Canadian universities—Memorial University, Ryerson University and the University of Windsor—ranked lower than Carleton.
