Twenty-two Ukrainian higher education institutions have entered the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 — five more than last year.

The University of Oxford (United Kingdom) remains the leader of the ranking for the tenth consecutive year, earning the highest scores for research quality and academic environment. The second place goes to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), while Princeton University and the University of Cambridge share third place.

This year, Harvard University, which ranked third previously, has dropped to fifth place alongside Stanford. The United States leads in the number of universities represented, followed by India in second place.

Among Ukrainian institutions, Sumy State University achieved the highest position, ranking in the 1001–1200 group. I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University was placed in the 1201–1500 range. Another 20 Ukrainian universities were listed in the 1501+ category.

Thus, the participation of 22 Ukrainian universities in the global ranking demonstrates growing international recognition and an improvement in the quality of higher education in Ukraine, despite the difficult conditions of war and economic challenges.