Shanghai Ranking: US universities lead as Paris-Saclay remains top in France

The 2026 Shanghai Ranking, released by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, shows American institutions continuing to dominate the top of the global university rankings. Harvard, Stanford, and MIT occupy the highest positions, with the top twelve spots held exclusively by Anglo-Saxon institutions.

In France, Université Paris-Saclay maintains its position as the top-ranked French and European university, holding 13th place globally. Other French institutions in the top 100 include Université PSL (33rd), Sorbonne Université (55th), and Université Paris Cité (57th).

While there has been a slight decline for some French universities within the top 500, France remains a significant scientific power with 27 institutions appearing in the top 1,000. The French Ministry of Higher Education attributes this global visibility to consolidation policies implemented since 2018, aimed at unifying previously fragmented research entities.