30 Most Influential Universities | Top universities reviews (2023)

Colleges and Universities in a Changing World

Universities provide a fertile ground for research, ideas and future leaders who will change the world. Of course, the best schools attract the best thinkers and innovators, and rankings are published annually to help prospective students choose the best universities for their needs.

Certain universities are known for their contributions to the technical fields of science and technology, some specializing in business or law, others taking a more diverse approach, offering a variety of programs and degrees. In turn, we analyze the 30 most influential universities of the last 100 years.

30. California Institute of the Arts – Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Founded in 1961, theCalifornia Institute of the Arts- or CalArts - based in Valencia, Los Angeles County, was Walt Disney's brainchild. Disney envisioned a collaborative, interdisciplinary art school where students become members of a dynamic creative environment and are taught by industry professionals. Today the school offers programs in art, critical studies, dance, film, music and theater. Influential alumni include John Lasseter, Creative Director of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Tim Burton, cult director and former Disney animator, Brad Bird, Academy Award-winning animator and Pixar director, Mark Andrews, Academy Award-winning animator, director and Pixar employees and a host of other top creatives.

29. Georgetown University – Georgetown, Washington, DC, EUA. UU.

university of georgetownThe list of influential alumni of , includes former US President Bill Clinton, prominent former CIA Director and current Georgetown Distinguished Professor George Tenet, President of the European Commission and former Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso, founder of Toys "R Us International". ”, Joseph R. Baczko, Laurence A. Tosi, CFO of the Blackstone Group, and Ann Sarnoff, COO of BBC Worldwide America. The university was founded in 1789 in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Founded and is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution of its kind in America. The Georgetown campus is known for the iconic Healy Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark and featured in the legendary 1973 horror film.The Exorcist. The school is also famous for its highly regarded law faculty, with its main subjects being law, jurisprudence and politics.

28. Brown University – Providence, Rhode Island, EUA. UU.

Founded in 1764, Rhode Islandbrown universityA resident of Providencia since 1770, he prides himself on his "rigorous multidisciplinary study", "diversity" and "intellectual freedom". And although its origins are tied to the Baptist Church, Brown is considered the first US university to begin enrolling students of all faiths. Prominent alumni include former PepsiCo chairman, former Apple CEO and Silicon Valley millionaire John Sculley, Bank of America CEO and chairman Brian Moynihan, Facebook CFO David Ebersman,CNNFounder Ted Turner, inventor of the John Seely Brown spell checker and Seth Berkley, founder of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Noted financier John D. Rockefeller, Jr. also studied with Brown, earning a B.A. in 1897. In 2013US news and world reportranked Brown as the 14th best university in the country.

27. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. UU.

HeUniversity of Michiganit was incorporated into Detroit in 1817, some two decades before the Territory of Michigan was recognized as an official state. In 1821, the school's name was changed to the University of Michigan, and in 1837 it moved to its current location in Ann Arbor. Michigan is known for its contributions to research, and graduate students can earn doctoral degrees in a variety of fields in the social sciences and humanities, as well as science, mathematics, technology, and engineering. Michigan has produced 20 billionaires to date, and notable alumni include Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, Google co-founder Larry Page, Domino's Pizza founder Tom S. Monaghan, Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell, Boeing co-founder Edgar N. Gott, General Motors co-founder Frederic L. Smith, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, and Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster.

26. University of Tokyo - Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

The University of Tokyo, or Todai, is the best university in Asia and the 21st highest ranked school in the world. Founded in 1877, Todai is located in the Bunkyo district of Tokyo. To date, it has produced 15 Japanese Prime Ministers, seven Nobel Prize-winning graduates, and several influential architects, including Kenzo Tange, who has been described as "one of the most important architects of the 20th century". Todai says its "researchers have been at the forefront of their fields" since the university was founded, and that's not an unreasonable claim. The highest ranked subjects in the school are Civil and Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Politics and Chemistry.

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25. Bauhaus—Weimar/Dessau/Berlin, Germany

Although short-lived, the Bauhaus school in Germany had a profound and lasting impact on modern design and architecture. Walter Gropius, described as "one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture", founded the school in Weimar in 1919. The Bauhaus closed under increasing political pressure and moved to Dessau in 1925. Gropius then resigned in 1928 and was replaced by an architect Swiss, Hannes Meier. However, Meyer was sacked two years later and the pioneering architect of modernism Ludwig Mies van der Rohe took over, until the Nazis closed the "non-German" school in 1931. In 1932, Mies founded a third Bauhaus school in Berlin, but the Gestapo closed. in 1933. Gropius left Germany with the brilliant Bauhaus student Marcel Breuer and ended up teaching at Harvard. Meanwhile, Mies van der Rohe became head of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Ideas developed at the Bauhaus have influenced graphic design, furniture design, and more.

24. Darthmouth College – Hannover, Nuevo Hampshire

dartmouth collegewas founded in 1769 and is headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire. September 2013US news and world reportThe magazine published its list of the best universities in the US for 2014, with Dartmouth ranked 10th. Dartmouth's engineering, medical, humanities and business programs are its mainstays; In fact, the institution's Tuck School of Business is one of the best business schools in the world. Notable Dartmouth College alumni include Reyn Guyer, inventor of the game's inventors and inventor of the Twister, John Donahoe, CEO of eBay, and Janet L. Robinson, CEO of the former New York Times Company. The College also counts Nobel Prize-winning scientists Owen Chamberlain, Karl Sharpless and George Davis Snell among its alumni. Dartmouth prides itself on cutting-edge research and the school's 'Plan D' allows students to adapt their academic schedules to the year.

23. University of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2013 dieuniversity of torontoInventors of the Year, or U of T, honors included the creators of a 3D "bioprinter" that creates skin-like bandages for wounds. Surprising, yes, but less surprising, given the U of T's history of innovation and invention. In 1921, nearly a century after the university's founding in 1827, Professor Frederick Banting, medical student Charles Best, and Professor JJR Macleod isolated and discovered insulin, for which Macleod and Banting received the Nobel Prize. In 1938, the university's physics department built the first functional electron microscope; and in 1963 researchers at the school discovered stem cells. Other U of T breakthroughs included the first nerve transplant, the first successful single and double lung transplants, and the discovery of the T-cell receptor. Alumni include former Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Prize-winning professor of history U-of-T Minister of Peace Lester B. Pearson, current Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and former President of Doctors Without Borders and Nobel Peace Prize winner James Orbinksi.

22. Duke University – Durham, North Carolina, USA

1838Duke Universitywas founded in Trinity, North Carolina, but moved to Durham, NC 54 years later. Today it is firmly established as a school with a great reputation. In 2012Forbesranked the university on its 2012 list of power plant universities, and Duke's degree program was ranked 7th nationallyUS news and world report's National University Rankings 2014. Over the years, 25 alumni have received Cambridge University's famous Winston Churchill Scholarship, the third-highest number of academics in the country. Distinguished alumni include Nobel Prize-winning physicists Robert Coleman Richardson and Charles Townes, Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America, Amy Hood, Microsoft's first Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Williams, Apple's Senior Vice President of Operations, President and general manager of Coca-Cola beverages. manager Katie J. Bayne; and Facebook designer Soleio Cuervo, who created the social networking site's innovative Like button.

21. New York University – New York City, New York, USA

Founded in New York in 1831,new york university, or NYU, has become one of the largest private schools in the United States. NYU enjoys a strong reputation in law and business; in fact, the university's Stern School of Business is among the oldest and most respected business schools in the world. In 2012US news and world reportranked Stern's graduate program as the fifth best in America, and many Stern graduates hold corporate positions in major financial centers such as Wall Street. Notable NYU alumni include Twitter co-creator Jack Dorsey, NASDAQ CEO Robert Greifeld, Lockheed Martin CEO Robert J. Stevens, Viacom COO Thomas E. Dooley, Xerox CEO and President Ursula Burns, real estate magnate and owner of the World Trade Center website Larry Silverstein and investor Thor Björgólfsson, the first Icelandic billionaire. In addition, the university is associated with 19 Pulitzer Prize winners.

20. University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, EE. UU.

HeUniversity of Pennsylvania, or Penn, was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1740; a few years later, Benjamin Franklin had the idea to make it the academic institution it would become. Penn's pioneering innovations include the oldest medical school in the United States, the Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765; the first American student union, Houston Hall, founded in 1896; and America's first business school, the Wharton School, founded in 1881. Wharton is still recognized today as one of the top business schools in the world, and its graduate program has been ranked the best in America byUS news and world reportsince the magazine began ranking universities in 1983financial timesranked Wharton's MBA program among the best in the world. Influential alumni in various fields include renowned linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky and billionaire businessman Donald Trump.

19. Imperial College London – London, England, UK

founded in 1907,London Imperial Collegeis a now fully independent London university recognized as one of the world's leading universities. In 2013, it was fifth in the QS World University Ranking and tenth in the QS World University Rankingtimes higher educationWorld University Ranking. Imperial College London is renowned for its biomedical research and its focus on engineering, science and business. Furthermore, according to a 2012 surveyThe New York Times dies, ranks 9th in the world for employability of graduates. Notable alumni include Nobel Prize-winning pharmacologist and discoverer of penicillin Alexander Fleming, Nobel Prize-winning chemists Derek Barton and Geoffrey Wilkinson, who also worked there, and Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May.

18. University of Edinburgh – Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Founded in 1583, theedinburgh universityhelped establish the Scottish capital as the so-called "Athens of the North" during the Enlightenment. However, the school has changed with the times and in 2013 it was ranked 17th in the QS World University Rankings. In addition, the school's graduates are ranked 15th among employers worldwide, according to the University's 2013 World Employability Rankings. Recent graduates who have risen to high office include former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the current and first vice-president of Syria, Najah al-Attar. Interestingly, in 1996, collaborators at the University of Edinburgh created Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal, which could have exciting implications for protecting endangered animal populations. Elsewhere, the school is particularly associated with the "strong program" school of sociological thought, which has had tremendous impact on the field of science, technology, and society.

17. University of Paris – Paris, France

The historic University of Paris, also known as the Sorbonne, was founded in the mid-12th century and officially recognized between 1160 and 1250. The university was suspended between 1793 and 1896 and finally divided into 13 independent schools in 1970. University of Paris has produced a number of influential modern thinkers. Distinguished faculty students and alumni include philosophers Paul Ricœur and Jean-François Lyotard, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie, anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, theorist and literary critic Roland Barthes, and Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar , writer Norman Mailer. The University of Paris has also produced such leaders as former President of France François Mitterrand, first President of Kosovo Ibrahim Rugova, former Prime Minister of Canada John Napier Turner, and first President of Tunisia Habib Bourguiba.

16. King's College London – London, England, United Kingdom

King's College de Londreswas founded in England's capital in 1829. Recent influential alumni include Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights activist and former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu, Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Peter Higgs, and Nobel Prize-winning biophysicist Nobel laureate Michael Levitt. King's College London School of Medicine is Europe's largest health school and has a quartet of teaching hospitals. And, in general, the university is focused on research and has played an important role in the discovery of the structure of DNA and in the advances that would lead to radar, radio, television and cell phones. Since 2010, the university has focused on areas such as neuroscience and mental well-being, society and leadership, cancer research and child health. In 2013, it was ranked 19th in the QS World University Rankings.

15. Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore, Maryland, USA. UU.

In 2013, the QS World University Rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities were placedJohns Hopkins Universityon the 16th and 17th, respectively. The school was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1876 and named in honor of its benefactor, businessman and philanthropist Johns Hopkins. Distinguished alumni include Nobel Peace Prize winner and former US President Coward. The establishment of the university's Johns Hopkins Hospital is historically responsible for establishing various hospital customs such as rounds and residents. Numerous specialist areas were also developed there, including neurosurgery, cardiac surgery and child psychiatry.

14. University College London – London, England, UK

University College London, or UCL, was founded in 1826, making it the oldest part of the University of London. It is also the first university in London and the first English language school to not discriminate against students from different religious backgrounds. In 2013, UCL was ranked fourth in the QS World University Rankings, performing particularly well in Arts & Humanities, Health & Clinical Studies, Life Sciences and Social Sciences. The university's alumni include influential historical figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Alexander Graham Bell and Nobel Prize-winning scientist Francis Crick.Muere Sunday Timeshe described UCL as a "brain powerhouse". And thanks to its location in the center of the British capital, it is part of a multitude of museums, archives, libraries and professional associations. The university is also exceptionally cosmopolitan, with nearly two-fifths of its students coming from outside the UK.

13. California Institute of Technology – Pasadena, California, USA

The Academic Ranking of World Universities listed themCalifornia Institute of Technology, or Caltech, ranked as the sixth best university in the world every year since 2004. Founded in Pasadena, California, in 1891, Caltech focuses primarily on science and engineering, and in 2013, the school was ranked fourth for the year.times higher educationList of top 100 engineering and technology universities. Famous alumni include astronauts Harrison Schmitt, C. Gordon Fullerton and Frank Borman, Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, and noted AIDS researcher andTEMPO1996 Man of the Year, David Ho. Several Nobel Prize-winning scientists have served on Caltech's faculty, and the institute also operates NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at La Cañada Flintridge. Caltech traditionally has a rivalry with another university focused on science and engineering, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

12. Cornell University – Ithaca, New York, USA

Since its inception in 1865 in Ithaca, New YorkCornell Universityhas strived to be equal and welcoming students of all races, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds. Cornell campuses include the nation's leading veterinary, hospitality, and labor and industrial relations schools. In terms of courses offered, it is considered the most diverse institution in the American Ivy League. In 2001, Cornell established the Weill Cornell School of Medicine in Qatar, the first US medical school outside the Americas. Cornell alumni include Nobel Prize-winning authors Pearl S. Buck and Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Barbara McClintock, iPod developer Jon Rubinstein and Burger King co-founder James McLamore. Henry Heimlich, who undoubtedly saved many lives by inventing the Heimlich maneuver, also received his M.D. by Cornell. According to a 2013 survey by QS Top Universities, the school's highest-ranked subject is Agriculture and Forestry.

11. Columbia University – Manhattan, New York, USA

Originally known as King's College,columbia universitywas founded in 1754 in Manhattan, New York. Influential political figures who were alumni include US President Barack Obama, the first US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former US Presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt. American businessman Warren Buffett, described as "one of the most successful investors in history", also studied at the university and was greatly inspired by Professor Benjamin Graham. Colombia is associated with 101 Nobel Prize winners, a feat surpassed only by Harvard. In addition, it has spawned 20 living billionaires, more than two dozen Oscar winners, and 29 heads of state. Known for its outstanding arts and humanities, social sciences and business departments, the university is also identified with Columbia's School of Linguistics, which emphasizes a highly functional notion of language.

10. ETH Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland

Sometimes a revolutionary student can help popularize a university. ForETH Zurich– which was founded in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1855 – this student was the epoch-making theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein. More recently, the school has made academic headlines thanks to the work of Swiss biophysicist and chemist Kurt Wüthrich, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the QS World University Rankings 2013, ETH Zurich is the best university in continental Europe. In 2013 it was again placed as the 8th best engineering and technology school in the worldtimes higher educationWorld ranking of universities. ETH Zurich is also known for its renowned faculty of architecture, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design offers an ETH Zurich architecture exchange program.

9. Princeton University – Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

New JerseyPrinceton- Founded in 1746 and resident of the homonymous community since 1756 - it is the fourth oldest American university. The school's academic focus is on the humanities, social and natural sciences. However, the university also offers several professional degrees through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the School of Architecture, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. High-profile contemporary alumni include Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, CEO and Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, CEO and Chairman of Forbes, Steve Forbes, CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, and acclaimed filmmaker Ethan Coen. With ties to the renowned Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton also has a strong tradition in religious studies. In 2013, the university press published the so-called first encyclopedia on the subject,The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought.

8. University of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois, EUA. UU.

HeUniversity of Chicago, or UChicago, was founded in 1890. It has been in the top ten of the Academic Ranking of World Universities list every year since 2004, but its influence goes back much further. UChicago has contributed to many fields, most notably economics, legal economics, sociology, literary criticism, and physics. It is also linked to the behaviorist approach to political science that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. The Chicago School of Economics, associated with the Freshwater school of macroeconomics, is another highly influential intellectual tradition whose origins lie in the university. Led by figures like Milton Friedman, UChicago economists have had a profound impact on law, political science, economics, and related fields. In addition, the institution has the largest university press in the United States and is associated with an impressive 89 Nobel Prize winners.

7. Yale University – New Haven, Connecticut, EUA. UU.

Connecticutyale university- based in New Haven since 1716 - was founded in 1701 to teach clergy and develop leaders for the territory. Well-known alumni include author and journalist Tom Wolfe, former US President Bill Clinton and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. The "Yale School" is the informal nickname of a large group of literary thinkers associated with the university from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, inspired by the work of the French philosopher of "deconstruction" Jacques Derrida. The Yale School included such prominent scholars as Paul de Man, Geoffrey Hartman, and J. Hillis Miller. Yale also has a variety of Thespian alumni, including such Hollywood luminaries as Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and Jodie Foster.

6. Stanford University – Stanford, California, USA

Stanford Universitywas founded in 1891 in Stanford, California. In the 1940s and 1950s, engineering professor Frederick Terman challenged students and staff alike to become entrepreneurs and clearly made a lasting impression. Silicon Valley was booming in the region, and high-profile entrepreneurial alumni include Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Yahoo! Co-founders David Filo and Jerry Yang, Hewlett-Packard co-founders William Hewlett and David Packard, Instagram co-founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, and Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings, not to mention Gap co-founder Doris F. Fisher and Nike co-founder and president Phil Knight. Other notable alumni include the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, the first female commander of the Space Shuttle, Eileen Collins, and famed geologist Thomas Dibblee.

5. University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, California, EE. UU.

Founded in 1868, theUniversity of California, Berkeleyhas a long history of student activism going back to the free speech movement of 1964 and the protests against the Vietnam War in the same decade. However, UC Berkeley's influence was much broader. On the one hand, it made a tremendous contribution to science. In particular, the school's laboratory at Berkeley has been associated with the discovery of 16 chemical elements, the most by any university. And the university is also associated with an incredible 72 Nobel Prize winners. Notable alumni include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, MySpace co-founder Tom Anderson, computer mouse inventor Douglas Engelbart, who also taught at the school after earning his Ph. . – and Nobel Prize winners Willis Lamb (physics), Thomas Schelling (economics) and Hamilton Smith (medicine). In 1900, UC Berkeley was one of the founders of the Association of American Universities.

4. University of Cambridge – Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

founded in 1209,University of Cambridgeit is the third oldest university in the world still in operation. Over the years, the school has been associated with an incredible 90 Nobel Prize winners, while distinguished alumni include everything from TV naturalist David Attenborough to celebrated primatologist Jane Goodall. Cambridge has long been known for its pioneering scientific achievements, thanks to influential historical graduates such as Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, Henry Cavendish and Charles Darwin. However, the university also has a strong literary tradition, with alumni such as John Milton and Lord Byron, as well as younger names like Salman Rushdie. Philosopher Bertrand Russell and economist John Maynard Keynes are two of the most important figures of the 20th century who trained and taught at the institution. In 2013 Cambridge was ranked third in the QS World University Rankings.

3. Oxford University – Oxford, England, United Kingdom

The evidence suggests that the doctrineuniversity of oxfordit can be dated to around 1096. Some of the school's best-known alumni include current British Prime Minister David Cameron, former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher, former United States President Bill Clinton, celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking, Internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee, astronomer Edwin Hubble, and writers Aldous Huxley, Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, and J.R.R. Tolkien, the latter also taught at the school for over three decades, among many others. Comprised of 38 constituent colleges, Oxford excelled in a number of fields. Politics and religion are prominent at the university; So far, 26 British Prime Ministers, 20 Archbishops of Canterbury and 12 saints have studied there. Other notable areas of study at the university include science, mathematics, literature, philosophy and economics. Oxford also offers the Clarendon Scholarship and the Rhodes Scholarship, two of the world's leading postgraduate scholarships.

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Since its opening in 1865, theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, has become synonymous with advances in engineering and physics. More recently, however, the university has also become a center for economics, business, biology and linguistics. MIT's prolific list of alumni includes astronaut "Buzz" Aldrin, former United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and award-winning and influential architect I.M. Pei. In addition, world-renowned linguist, philosopher, and cultural icon Noam Chomsky has taught at MIT since 1955. And MIT's computer science department has been instrumental in robotics, cybernetics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer languages, and cryptography . In 2013, MIT topped the annual QS World University ranking as the best school in the world.

1. Harvard University – Cambridge, Massachusetts, EUA

Harvard Universitywas founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition to its rich history, Harvard has been the number one university in the world according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities since 2003. Distinguished alumni include former US Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and current John F. Kennedy. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, current US President Barack Obama, and Goldman Sachs CEO and Chairman Lloyd Blankfein. Two of the most notable people who attended the school but later dropped out are Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Facebook chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg launched what is now the ubiquitous social networking site from his Harvard dorm room. The Harvard Business and Law Schools are world-renowned, and the institution is often associated with the saltwater school of mainstream economic thought.