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The number of Chinese universities accounts for 17% of the total 2,000, reflecting an increase of 22 institutions compared to last year. Meanwhile, the number of U.S. universities dropped by 10, leaving 319 institutions in the ranking, according to data released by CWUR on June 2.

Most Chinese universities improved their rankings, including Tsinghua University, which rose 6 places to rank 37th. Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences climbed 3 and 4 places, ranking 44th and 46th, respectively.

Other universities in the top 10 Chinese institutions in the ranking are Shanghai Jiao Tong University (61st), Zhejiang University (68th), Fudan University (73rd), Sun Yat-sen University (95th), University of Science and Technology of China (96th), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (98th), and Nanjing University (129th).

Although the U.S. still has eight of the world’s top 10 universities, led by Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford, 83% of its listed institutions declined in rank.

The U.K.’s Cambridge and Oxford secured the fourth and fifth places.

CWUR is a consulting organization based in Saudi Arabia that has ranked universities since 2012. It is one of the largest global rankings, alongside the British QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and the Chinese ARWU. This year, it evaluated over 21,400 higher education institutions before ranking the top 2,000.

The center uses seven indicators grouped into four areas to rank the world’s universities: education (based on the academic success of a university’s alumni, measured relative to the university’s size – 25%), employability (based on the professional success of a university’s alumni, measured relative to the university’s size – 25%), faculty (measured by the number of faculty members who have received top academic distinctions – 10%), and research (measured by the total number of research articles – 10%, the number of research articles appearing in top-tier journals – 10%, the number of research articles appearing in highly influential journals – 10%, and the number of highly-cited research articles – 10%).

Nadim Mahassen, president of the Center for World University Rankings, stated that China is strongly represented in the top universities globally, and increased government funding would enhance its competitiveness in the fast-changing global academic environment, as reported by China Daily.

He also noted that while the U.S. continues to have leading universities, the drop in rankings for most of its institutions is a cause for concern. “At a time when Chinese universities are reaping the rewards of years of generous financial support from their government, American institutions are grappling with slashed federal funding and disputes over academic freedom and free speech,” he said.

Recent controversies, such as the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the enrollment of international students at Harvard, later overturned by a federal judge, underscore the difficulties currently facing higher education in the U.S., he added.

China also dominates Asian university rankings in the 2025 THE Asia University Rankings, published on April 23, which shows seven Chinese universities securing places in the top 10. China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University retained the top two spots for the sixth consecutive year.