Top American universities constantly rank among the best in the world, with 7 out of 10 best universities in the world being in the US. However, according to the latest ranking by the Times Higher Education, US universities could do much better in the field of being truly “international”.
THE came out with their 2015 list of top 100 universities in the world with the most pronounced international outlook and only two US universities made the list – Massachusetts Institute of Technology at number 39 and Rice University at 98, sharing the spot with University College Cork.
The list is made by analyzing a number of factors, such as the percentage of international staff, the number of international students, the ratio of papers that are done in cooperation with someone from another country, the overall international cooperation history and practice and many more.
Everyone can agree that in today’s scientific culture and reality, it is very important for universities to work together and that international cooperation should be encouraged.
The reasons for the very obvious lack of American universities on the list could be the reliance of universities in the US on one another and the geographical distance from Europe and Asia.
That being said, it can safely be said that this is something American university authorities should take notice of and something that should be improved in the future.
Nothing good comes from being an isolationist.
