The University of Oxford has maintained its position at the top of the global university rankings for 2026, marking its tenth straight year as the world’s leading institution, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

The United States continues to dominate the elite tier, securing seven of the top ten spots, while the remaining three places are held by institutions from the United Kingdom.

According to the report reviewed by Al Arabiya Business, Asian universities have remained largely stable in their positions for the third consecutive year. Tsinghua University held onto 12th place for the third year running, while Peking University moved up only one spot during the same period and remains 13th for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, the National University of Singapore (NUS) failed to improve on its 17th-place ranking from last year.

The report also noted that the number of Chinese universities within the top 200 remains unchanged at 13 institutions for the third consecutive year. This stability contrasts sharply with the previous decade leading up to the 2024 rankings, during which Tsinghua climbed 35 places, Peking University rose 28 places, and NUS advanced 7 places.

This year marks the first time since the 2012 rankings that none of these three major Asian institutions improved their position.

On the other hand, trends in the United States tell a different story. While many U.S. institutions lower in the rankings continue to decline, the country’s top universities generally maintain their strong positions within the global top 10—some even improving further.

The U.S. once again claims seven of the top ten spots, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) leading American universities in second place overall. Princeton University also stands out this year, reaching its highest-ever ranking by sharing third place, supported by significant improvements in teaching quality and research performance. This marks the third consecutive year in which Princeton has risen in the rankings—an impressive achievement given the extremely tight competition among the world’s most elite institutions.