THE World University Rankings 2026

Current Context: The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026 were released on 9 October 2025 by Times Higher Education, UK.

• The University of Oxford retained the No. 1 spot for the 10th consecutive year, followed by MIT (USA) in 2nd place and Princeton University (USA) in 3rd.
• This edition ranked a record 2,191 universities from 115 countries, making it the most comprehensive so far.
• The US dominates the Top 20 with 13 institutions, though its overall performance shows signs of decline.
• The UK holds 3 places in the Top 10, led by Oxford.
• Asia is rising, with China placing 5 universities in the Top 40 and Hong Kong 6 in the Top 200.
• For the first time, India has the second‑highest number of ranked universities, after the US.

Question:

Q.1 In the 2026 rankings, which country had the second-highest number of ranked universities after the United States?
a) China
b) Japan
c) United Kingdom
d) India

Answer: d) For the first time, India became the country with the second-highest number of ranked universities, reflecting its expanding higher education landscape.