NKUA Among the Top 1.3% of Universities Worldwide According to the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU) 2021
17 Aug. 2021
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) ranks among the top 1.3% of universities worldwide, according to the results of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking.
2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities
The ARWU was announced by the independent non-profit organization ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. This ranking is considered one of the three most prestigious global university rankings.
The methodology evaluates universities with:
- Alumni and faculty who have won Nobel Prizes or other prestigious awards,
- Researchers with high impact and influence, and
- Articles published in leading journals such as Nature and Science.
Additionally, universities with a significant number of publications included in the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases are ranked.
Since its inception in 2003, ARWU has assessed over 2,000 universities annually, publishing a list of the top 500. Starting in 2019, the ranking expanded to include the top 1,000 universities globally.
Greek Universities in ARWU 2021
According to this year’s ranking:
- NKUA is ranked in the 301-400 range, maintaining its position as the top Greek university.
- Three additional Greek universities are included in the top 1,000:
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: 501-600 range
- University of Crete: 601-700 range
- University of Thessaly: 801-900 range
Ranking Methodology
Universities are evaluated based on six indicators of academic and research performance, with the highest-ranked institution receiving a score of 100. The scores of other universities are calculated as a percentage of the top score. The indicators are:
- Alumni Indicator (10%): Number of alumni who have won Nobel Prizes or Fields Medals.
- Award Indicator (20%): Number of faculty who have won Nobel Prizes or Fields Medals.
- HiCi Indicator (20%): Number of highly cited researchers.
- N&S Indicator (20%): Number of publications in Nature and Science (2014-2018).
- PUB Indicator (20%): Number of publications indexed in SCIE and SSCI databases.
- PCP Indicator (10%): Per capita academic performance, calculated as the weighted sum of the above indicators divided by the number of faculty members.
Global Rankings and Success of Greek Universities
NKUA’s inclusion in the top 400 universities globally and the representation of three other Greek universities in the top 1,000 are remarkable achievements. Globally, ARWU evaluates 31,097 universities, with the top 1,000 representing the best 3.2%. Based on these rankings:
- NKUA ranks in the top 1.3% globally.
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is in the top 1.9%,
- University of Crete in the top 2.25%, and
- University of Thessaly in the top 2.9%.
Global Highlights of ARWU 2021
- The United States dominates the rankings, with:
- 8 universities in the top 10,
- 40 universities in the top 100,
- 129 universities in the top 500, and
- 200 universities in the top 1,000.
- China follows with:
- 180 universities in the top 1,000,
- 84 universities in the top 500, and
- 7 universities in the top 100.
- The United Kingdom has:
- 65 universities in the top 1,000,
- 38 universities in the top 500, and
- 8 universities in the top 100, with 2 in the top 10.
Top Global Universities in ARWU 2021
- Harvard University remains in 1st place for the 19th consecutive year, followed by:
- Stanford University (2nd),
- University of Cambridge (3rd, the top non-American and European university),
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (4th),
- University of California, Berkeley (5th), and
- Princeton University (6th).
The University of Oxford, Columbia University, California Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago round out the top 10.
- The highest-ranked European university outside the UK is Paris-Saclay University (France) in 13th place.
- Asian leaders: University of Tokyo (24th) and Tsinghua University (28th).
- Oceania: University of Melbourne is the top-ranked university in Australia and New Zealand (33rd globally).
- Africa: University of Cape Town leads (201-300 range).
For detailed ranking tables, click here.
