The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

ETH Zurich moves into the top six universities worldwide

man testing drones in a lab environment
The ETH Zurich has also been at the forefront of developing drones (archive picture from 2016). © Keystone/Gaetan Bally

The Zurich-based Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) has moved up one place in the latest QS university rankings to make it into the world’s top six higher education locations.

For the first time, the ETH Zurich overtook Cambridge University in England in the ranking by British company Quacquarelli Symonds, an educational marketing group.

The top five spots are held by four universities in the United States – MIT coming out first – and the prestigious university of Oxford in England.

“We are very pleased about this great ranking. It provides yet more proof that ETH Zurich is on the right track in teaching, research and technology transfer and it shows that we can hold our own against other top universities in an increasingly competitive environment,” ETH Zurich President, Joël Mesot said in a press releaseExternal link on Wednesday. 

+ See here the results of the same survey from 2018

ETH Zurich has been the top university on the European continent in the QS ranking since 2010.

The second top university in Switzerland, the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is in 18th position together with Columbia University in the US, according to the surveyExternal link.

The ranking is based on the results of surveys among scientists and employers about the quality of universities, including academic publication rates, staff-student ratio and the universities’ international outlook.

QS first published their ranking in 2004. Along with the Times Higher Education and Shanghai rankings, it is one of the most cited indicators of university quality.

More
Campus

More

A visual summary of university rankings

This content was published on Choosing the right university is an important decision. Find the right fit with swissinfo.ch’s university rankings and fees visualisations.

Read more: A visual summary of university rankings

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Plane grazes hikers on Monte Rosa, pilot apologises

More

Plane grazes hikers on Monte Rosa

This content was published on A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.

Read more: Plane grazes hikers on Monte Rosa
The air in climbing gyms is more polluted than on the streets

More

Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets

This content was published on The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.

Read more: Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
Swiss with lower profit in the first quarter

More

SWISS reports lower profit in first quarter

This content was published on Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.

Read more: SWISS reports lower profit in first quarter
Significantly less wine is drunk in Switzerland

More

Swiss drink significantly less wine

This content was published on Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.

Read more: Swiss drink significantly less wine

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR