--- title: The World's Best University Isn't in the U.S., According to a New Ranking description: Oxford has been named the "best school in the world," nudging the California Institute of Technology out of the top spot. authors: - name: Kristen Bahler role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/kristen-bahler/ bio: Kristen Bahler has spent more than a decade turning culture, work and consumer spending trends into conversation-driving stories. Today, she leads Money's sponsored content channel and reader-favorite franchises like Best Places to Live and Best Places to Travel. education: Northeastern University, MA Journalism at_money_since: 2016 articles: 52 covers: - Education - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-bahler/ published: '2016-09-22T14:40:10.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T03:51:14.000Z' section: Education tags: - best schools - Higher Education - Oxford - pubdesk word_count: 372 canonical: https://money.com/worlds-best-university/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![160922_COLL_Oxford](https://img.money.com/2016/09/160922_coll_oxford.jpg) Sorry America, you've been demoted. In its just-released [World University Rankings](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/world-university-rankings-2016-2017-results-announced), *Times Higher Education* lists The University of Oxford as the best school in the world, the first time in the rankings' 13-year history that an American school hasn't carried the honor. Oxford nudged the California Institute of Technology out of the top spot, which has nabbed the top spot for the last five years in the British paper's rankings. The school's big win is a result of broadened research capabilities. The ranking places a special emphasis on research and research funding, and Oxford blows the competition out of the water: > Oxford’s success can be attributed to improved performances across the four main indicators underlying the methodology of the ranking – teaching, research, citations and international outlook. More specifically the institution’s total income and research income is rising faster than its staff numbers, its research is more influential, and it has been more successful at drawing in international talent. It's also [cheaper than many leading American schools](https://money.com/should-you-go-to-college-england-uk/?iid=sr-link2). Oxford’s published price for the 2016-17 year is £22,430 (currently $29,338 in U.S. dollars); [Stanford](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/stanford-university/)'s is $47,331. Without accounting for annual increases, Oxford undergraduates would pay $88,014 over three years for their degree; Stanford’s, $189,324 over four years. ***Read More: [Should You Go to College in England?](https://money.com/should-you-go-to-college-england-uk/)*** Schools in China have also climbed the ranks this year, thanks, in part, to investments designed to fetch Chinese and Chinese-American researchers from American universities, the [Wall Street](http://www.wsj.com/articles/oxford-tops-list-of-worlds-best-universities-1474488002) *[Journal](http://www.wsj.com/articles/oxford-tops-list-of-worlds-best-universities-1474488002)* noted. The top Chinese universities include: Peking University in Beijing (29), University of Hong Kong (43) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (49). By comparison, New York University and Brown University ranked 32 and 51, respectively. While Oxford won top honors this year, the U.S. has [more schools on the list](https://money.com/25-best-colleges-2016/) than any other country, grabbing one-third of the top 200 spots. As in years passed, American schools also dominated the top 10. Here are the top 10 schools in the world: 1. University of Oxford (U.K.) 2. California Institute of Technology (U.S.) 3. Stanford University (U.S.) 4. University of Cambridge (U.K.) 5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.) 6. Harvard University (U.S.) 7. Princeton University (U.S.) 8. Imperial College London (U.K.) 9. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (SUI) 10. 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