The Times Higher Education magazine has revealed the much-anticipated results of their new university ranking system, showing which institutions around the world have made it into the Top 200.

The USA has emerged as the clear dominant force in higher education, with American institutions accounting for 72 of the top 200 universities worldwide. Contrary to the recent QS rankings, THE has placed Harvard at the top of the global list, followed by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in second and third position.

All of the top 20 universities in the THE rankings are from the USA and the UK, with the exception of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. The British institutions which fared best were traditional favourites Oxford and Cambridge, sharing a joint sixth position.

The full THE Top 10 are:

1. Harvard

2. California Institute of Technology

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4. Stanford University

5. Princeton University

6. (tie) University of Cambridge

6. (tie) University of Oxford

8. University of California, Berkeley

9. Imperial College London

10. Yale University

Countries which have invested heavily in universities, such as China, South Korea and Canada also performed well in the rankings, prompting commentators in countries which have seen funding reduced to call for a renewed focus on higher education investment.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union in the UK, said: “The simple truth is that countries investing in higher education are being rewarded and they will be the key players in the global knowledge economy.

“The UK has been punching above its weight and trading on its richly-deserved reputation for excellence. However, reputation alone will not be enough to compete with countries who enjoy the investment we so desperately need.”

The new Times Higher Education rankings have been based upon a major survey of university teaching standards, research income, academics’ qualifications, the staff-student ratio, the number of citations per research paper, and international student numbers.

How do you feel about the new THE rankings? Do you believe the new ranking methodology accurately reflects the quality of universities around the world? Leave your comments below.

The expanded scholarship scheme is intended to boost the development of leadership skills and provide young Pacific islanders with the advanced education and skills necessary to support their home countries, which have suffered an apparent “brain drain” over recent years, as well-educated young people emigrate.

To combat this, the scheme will involve a combination of full scholarships and student loans; if graduates return to their home countries to put their new-found skills to work, they could see their loans written off.

Commenting on the scheme, Mr. Key said: “An educated and highly-skilled Pacific population is vital to future leadership in the region, and critical for economic and social development.”

“This will boost our education investment to $15 million per year. I believe this is a key building block for the future success of the region.”

“We thought it would be a good way for New Zealand to show its leadership by continuing to open our doors to our tertiary education facilities. An additional 100 is going to be important …”

The funding for the programme is being made available through NZAID, the agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade that manages New Zealand’s official development assistance programme and provides policy advice on international development issues. For information on the scholarships, visit the NZAID website here.

Amongst Jeetah’s plans to transform Mauritius into a “knowledge hub” is the goal of increasing the number of Mauritians enrolling in higher education to 70%, a rate more than four times higher than many of their African neighbours.

Mauritius has already seen an impressive rise in their student enrolment figures; in 2000 15% of 20-24 year olds were pursuing higher education, whilst in 2009 that figure had shot up to 45%.

Jeetah hopes to achieve the 70% target by 2015 and to have attracted 100,000 international students to Mauritius by 2020. To achieve these goals the Mauritian government will be investing 600 million rupees (US$19 million) on the construction of a new university campus at Réduit to serve 8,000 new students.

Further plans under consideration include the establishment of a new university, possibly at Montagne-Blanche, as well as loosening the restrictions on international student visas and work permits. The Mauritian government will also be working with foreign institutions wishing to open branches on the island and promoting the nation at international education fairs.

The Mauritian government now spends 4.5 billion rupees on the infrastructure of public and private education institutions.

The Australian Government has contributed more than $7.7 million for the foundation building at the campus through the Capital Development Pool (CDP) program.

The Gold Coast Airport Campus will support students studying courses in business, tourism, law, health and allied health. By 2012, the campus will be home to about 2000 students and more than 130 staff.

Southern Cross University is now better placed to meet educational needs in a region experiencing significant growth.

The CDP provides funding to encourage development on new campuses or the building or major refurbishment of capital infrastructure for student amenities. It also focuses on the rebuilding or restoration of campus facilities and priorities for individual institutions.

21 Australian universities will share $71.5 million Capital Development Pool funding in 2010-11 to improve teaching and research facilities for students.

The CDP is in addition to the Government’s record $5.7 billion investment in higher education over four years as part of its post Bradley Review reforms.

This funding will help achieve the Government’s aim of increasing by 40 per cent the number of 25 to 34-year-olds to hold a Bachelor-level qualification or above by 2025.

To find out more about studying in Australia, read the latest i-studentadvisor Australia guide.

The project is being perceived by many as increasingly important due to the rise in globalisation and the flow of workers and students between nations.

The experimental project, expected to cost around $12.5 million, will focus on three separate disciplines; one on general skills, one on economics, and one on engineering. The Australian Council for Educational Research will manage the development of the discipline-specific tests in coordination with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the body behind AHELO.

OECD expects to test around 200 students in 10 varying types of school in each of these six nations; Finland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico and the United States. The proposal is to test students towards the end of their three or four year bachelors degrees and, in the following year, attempt to determine whether their results can be made comparable.

Richard Yelland, of OECD, hopes that if the experiment succeeds they will be able to create a useful tool for individuals and organisations across the world “who are responsible for higher education.” Yelland estimates that worldwide governments are collectively investing around $1 trillion in postsecondary education, meaning that the proposed tool could generate great interest.

You can find out more about AHELO by visiting the OECD website here.