The top ten places are dominated by UK and US universities, with four UK establishments featured. Although claims that the new regulations and changes to the fees system may have an impact on 2012 results have already began circulating. Ben Sowter, Head of Research at QS told the BBC that he believed that is was “inevitable” that financial pressures would impact UK universities rankings in the future years, due to staffing, research productivity and the result of UK students looking to go overseas for their education.

The top ten institutions are as follows:

1 – University of Cambridge – UK (100.0)

2- Harvard University – US (99.3)

3 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology – US (99.2)

4 – Yale University – US (98.8)

5 – University of Oxford – US (98.8)

6 – Imperial College London – UK (97.6)

7 – University College London – UK (97.3)

8 – University of Chicago – US (96.1)

9 – University of Pennsylvania – US (95.7)

10 – Columbia University – US (95.3)

For a full list please click here.

Amongst those featured in the top 100 were eight Australian institutions, with Australian National University ranking an impressive 26^th and the University of Melbourne not far behind at 31^st.

East Asia has seen a distinct increase in their rankings with universities from Japan and Singapore leading the way as the University of Tokyo ranked 25^th , the National University of Singapore at 28^th and Kyoto University reaching 32^nd.

Amidst the lower rankings, it has emerged that a number of universities from Latin America and the Middle East making an appearance on the list.

The QS rankings, which are scored out of 100 and based on research, internationalism, teaching and graduate employability, have been running since 2004.

Scoring over 90 out of 100, Harvard University easily came out on top for each of the three categories and both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford feature in the top 5 on each list.  Yale University, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also feature heavily in each of the top tens.

The University of Melbourne is the only Australian institution to have made the top ten, featuring at number 8 in the Psychology list. Other high listing entries from Australia, Canada and Singapore also mark a slight shift in the heavily US dominated list.

Talking of the new subject specific rankings, Ben Sowter, Head of QS Intelligence Unit says, “The new QS World University Rankings by Subject respond to a need for comparative data at a more granular level.

“In many countries students are being charged more than ever before for their degrees. So assessing the potential career outcomes of one’s study choice is becoming increasingly important”, he continued.

In an age where technology is moving faster than Usain Bolt off of the starting line, you can’t help but wonder where it will end. From chalkboards to interactive digital whiteboards, from textbooks and pencils to tablet computers and iBooks, the world of education is constantly evolving to take advantage of the digital revolution. Online universities and materials downloaded straight to your mobile phone seem to be the beginning.

Currently more than two-thirds of higher education institutions in the US offer online or part-online courses, including the prestigious Yale University. Meanwhile, other world-renowned universities such as Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley have begun an open source project, OER Commons where they provide free materials to their students.

The UK isn’t far behind with the Open University, an open access university where students can enrol and study from home. 263,000 students from 23 countries are enrolled making the OU an international pioneer of online degree courses.

Apple’s iTunes U download service is now being embraced by lecturers and universities worldwide. This means that students can now access materials and resources for their course and download them straight to their phone or computer. The Open Universities materials now makes up roughly 10% of iTunes U downloads, with an astonishing 31 million downloads to date.

There are a number of digital resources now readily available to students, including high-quality podcasts and televisual material which can be accessed on YouTube. Textbooks can now be downloaded and accessed at the press of a button containing interactive illustrations and select and search facilities.

So how will this affect the future of education? Well, surely it would mean that studying at Harvard may not mean relocating to the US? Long walks back from the library laden down with countless textbooks will be a thing of the past. And the highlighter pen will surely meet it’s untimely demise.

How have 21st century technological innovations changed the way you access educational resources? Do you think online learning is a positive step for higher education, or do you think the personal touch is more important? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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.

Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, London Business School, INSEAD and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) will be represented in London this Saturday 17 October by DocNet, an organisation of over 100 universities from around the globe.

It is the first event DocNet Consortium of Business Doctoral Programs has attended outside of the US and is part of the QS World Grad School Tour London fair, the largest series of graduate education fairs in the world.

DocNet educates potential students about careers in academia and engages in a variety of recruiting strategies aimed at increasing the pool of qualified applicants for doctoral-granting institutions.

Nancy Crouch, Program Manager of the School of Business PhD programme at the University of Connecticut in the US and DocNet’s representative at the fair says the organisation is interested in sharing its information with students from all geographic locations.

“London is an ideal location for us to speak because the metropolitan area draws a global population to one area. Among the most popular graduate topics for international students in the UK are economics and politics, and business and management.”

Peter MacDonald, Director of the Tour, says DocNet’s participation in London is recognition of the importance world class universities are placing on recruiting PhD candidates.

“There’s a great synergy between the QS World Grad School Tour and DocNet with the launch of our new PhD forums. We’ve responded to the growing demand for PhD candidates – both in the academic and corporate worlds – while DocNet continues to drum up interest in a career in business academia.”

DocNet also lobbies for doctoral programmes within its members’ respective colleges and universities and at the national level through AACSB International, the Graduate Management Admission Council, and the media.

The QS World Grad School Tour will be held in London on Sat 17 October from 1.00pm to 5.00pm at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel and will feature over 50 prestigious UK and international universities. DocNet will participate in the PhD admissions seminar from 2.00pm to 3.00pm. Click here to register for the free registration to this event.

The overall trends of the study showed a dwindling in the US dominance of the league table and a surge in Asian universities claiming places that could rival America’s Ivy League and the UK’s Oxbridge in coming years.

The top 10 was dominated, as usual, by the US and UK institutions with Harvard claiming the top spot for the sixth consecutive year. The University of Cambridge knocked Yale University out of second place. University of Oxford slipped by one place this year down to a joint fifth with Imperial College London. Overall there were four UK universities to the United States six in the top 10.

However the real success story is the Asian institutions, with appearances from institutions in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia. Japan holds 11 places in the top 200 with the University of Tokyo ranking the highest at 22 and Hong Kong holds five positions, three of them in the top 50 starting with the University of Hong Kong at 24. Mainland China maintains its total of six institutions from last year, South Korea holds two places and Malaysia joined the league table at 180th place with Universiti Malaya.

Long Po Yee, a commenter on the Guardian website said:

“As a Hong Konger, I am really very happy to see that Hong Kong universities are in high quality. For me, I have studied in the Chinese Univeristy of Hong Kong (CUHK), and I felt that is really great and they offered green environment with quality education and facilities.”

You can download the full league table of all 200 universities here or visit the Times Higher Education website for a break down on the scoring for special areas of expertise.

Professor Andrew Hamilton has joined the University from Yale, where he was Provost from 2004 until late 2008.

Professor Hamilton said: “Oxford is one of the world’s greatest universities and the opportunity to serve as its Vice-Chancellor is both inspiring and energising. With the support and help of colleagues in every part of the collegiate University, I intend to play my part in ensuring that Oxford’s outstanding reputation as a pre-eminent centre of teaching, learning and research is safeguarded and enhanced for generations to come. I will strive to repay the trust that has been placed in me and to ensure that a great University has an even better future.”

Professor Hamilton begins his new responsibilities on 1 October and on Tuesday 6 October he will be formally admitted to office at a ceremony in the Sheldonian Theatre. The ceremony witnesses the change-over of Vice-Chancellors and takes place at a meeting of Congregation (the University’s ‘parliament of dons’). The occasion will begin with an Oration by the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Dr John Hood, followed by the admission of Professor Hamilton as the new Vice-Chancellor and his inaugural address.

To read the full report about Professor Andrew Hamilton, click here.