THE World University Ranking 2023: a record 42 French institutions ranked

To establish the 19th edition of the World university ranking published on 12 October by the Times Higher Education (THE), the famous British newspaper worked this year on a record number of 1,799 universities in 104 countries and regions, from 1,662 in 2022 and 1,527 in 2021. The THE ranks institutions using indicators divided in five main categories: teachings, research, transfer of knowledge, influence of research and international prospects.

One additional French institution in the Top 100

France is part of the most present countries in the Top 100, and registers one more institution than last year. Are included in the ranking:

• Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), ranked 47th, still the leading French institution since its inclusion in the ranking
• Sorbonne Université (90th);
• Université Paris Saclay enters the Top 100 on a good mark with +20 positions (93th this year from 117th in 2022);
• Institut Polytechnique de Paris (95th);

8th global position and 42 institutions ranked

Thanks to this Top 100 list, France is ranked 8th worldwide behind the US, the UK, Germany, China, Australia, the Netherlands and Hong Kong.

Beyond the Top 100, 10 additional French institutions are present in the Top 500, which covers all the French territory, including;

- from rank 101 to 300: Université Paris Cité and Ecole des Ponts ParisTech;

- from rank 301 to 400: Aix-Marseille Université, Université de Bordeaux, Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon, Université de Montpellier and IMT Atlantique;

- from rank 401 to 500: Université Claude Bernard (Lyon 1), Université Grenoble Alpes and Institut Agro.

Between the 501th and 1,000th rank are 17 additional French institutions, and 11 more close the ranking (up to the 1,500th rank).

To be noted that four additional institutions join the ranking this year: ENSTA Bretagne (school of engineering), ENTPE (École nationale des travaux publics de l’État), IMT Nord Europe and Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle.

The French minister for higher education and research saluted all 42 French institutions ranked and “particularly the researchers, teachers-researchers, teachers and support teams to research who make these results possible through their everyday work”.

The mark of an investment policy from the government

According to a press release from the ministry of higher education, this ranking is also the “result of an investment policy by the government in research and in training courses over the long term with various investment programmes for the future and France 2030”. These various fundings, says the ministry, indeed contributed to the “structural transformation of institutions and the development of the training course offer and the definition of their scientific signature”.

The ministry concluded by pointing out that the results of the THE also show “how the levers available, and especially as part of the law about programming and research, are critical for the acknowledgement of the scientific potential of French universities in the years to come”.