Israeli universities rise in global rankings; HU at top

Although pro-Hamas presidents, professors and students at universities throughout the US, Europe, and elsewhere are bashing Israel for political reasons, Israeli universities are nevertheless flourishing academically and in their research activities.

Five out of nine Israeli universities have improved in this year’s rankings, while the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has come out ahead of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The rankings were determined in the 2024 edition of the Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), which is based in Ontario, Canada.

Harvard University in Boston, which has been – along with Columbia University in New York – the scene of the most vicious antisemitic and anti-Israel demonstrations, leads the list globally, while 95% of Chinese universities have risen on the back of heavy investment in research and development in that country.

The spokespersons of all nine Israeli research universities declined to comment when asked by The Jerusalem Post.

Overall, said CWUR, “Israel is increasing its competitiveness in higher education on the global stage, with five institutions moving up from last year, one maintaining its spot, and three falling in the standings. Nevertheless, the threats to boycott Israeli academics has cast a shadow on them, because joint research and the granting of funds for research is the life blood of academia, and if they follow through on their threats, it will hurt Israeli universities and medical centers.”

Hebrew University of Jerusalem rose four spots to 66th in the quality of its faculty, but declining in the quality of education and research indicators. The Weizmann Institute of Science has climbed 13 places to 74th, while Tel Aviv University (TAU) maintained its 154th spot – ahead of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa at number 180 and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beersheba in 352nd position. The remaining Israeli universities in the Global 2000 are Bar-Ilan University (576), University of Haifa (670), Ariel University (1507), and Reichman University (1870).

Commenting on the national picture, CWUR president Dr. Nadim Mahassen, said: “While five out of nine Israeli universities saw improvements in this year’s rankings, what is of concern is Israel’s global share in scientific research, which fell by 9% in the last five years. Without additional government investment in research and development, Israel faces the possibility of declining in the future.”

He added that “while this year’s rankings confirm the world-class standing of the US higher-education sector, the decline of nearly two-thirds of American institutions is concerning, amid stiff competition from Chinese universities. The overall slide of US institutions mirrors those of UK, Russian, and Japanese universities, while France saw improvements as a result of the growing number of mergers between its institutions. China’s remarkable rise is due to heavy investment in research and development, and recruitment of talented researchers in classified areas, such as semiconductors, from the US and elsewhere through the Qiming program. With Chinese universities challenging their Western counterparts, American and European institutions cannot afford to be complacent.”

CWUR analyzed 62 million outcome-based data points to rank universities from around the world according to four factors: quality of education (25%), employability (25%), quality of faculty (10%), and research (40%). This year, 20,966 universities were ranked, and those that placed at the top made the Global 2000 list – which includes institutions from 94 countries.

For the 13th year in a row, Harvard is the top university in the world. It is followed by two other private American institutions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford, while the UK’s Cambridge and Oxford – ranking fourth and fifth respectively – are the world’s top public higher education institutions. The rest of the global top ten is rounded out by private US universities: Princeton, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Yale, and Caltech.

Despite claiming eight of the top ten places globally, American universities have been struggling to maintain their dominance against rivals worldwide.