IIT among top 100 universities worldwide

London, Oct 5: The Indian Institute of technology (IIT) is the only higher educational institution in India to figure in the list of the top 100 universities in the world rankings produced by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES).

But, it slid from last year's 50th world ranking to the 57th this time.

The list is dominated by American (33) and British (15) universities.

Harvard University, which topped the table last year, has retained its position. It is followed by the University of Cambridge, one up from the number three last year, at the second place. Oxford University has moved up by one slot to number three this year. Cambridge has pushed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from the second position last year down to fourth place. But University of Yales has climbed up from the seventh position last year to join MIT at the fourth ranking.

The findings clearly confirm the global importance of American and British universities in higher education.

Britain's higher education sector will particularly feel happy at a time when some universities are giving warning that chronic under-funding of undergraduate teaching, poor cost recovery on research contracts, salary rises and increased administration costs are pushing their accounts into the red.

According to the report, Harvard, whose endowment of 26 billion dollars exceeds total annual funding for all British universities, though tops the table but its lead over its closest rival, Cambridge, has fallen from last year's 13 per cent to just over three per cent this year.

Britain has three universities in the top ten, with Imperial College, London, moving up from 13th place to 9th. All others in the top ten are American universities. London's importance was confirmed with three other universities in the top 50, the London School of Economics at 17 (down from 11 last year), University College London at 25 (28 last year) and Kings College London moving from 73rd last year to 46th.

''It is very reassuring that the collegiate systems of Cambridge and Oxford continue to be valued and respected by peers, and that the excellence of teaching and of research at both institutions is reflected in this ranking,'' Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University Ian Leslie said.

John Hood, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, said, ''Our place among the handful of truly world-class universities, despite the financial challenges we face, is testament to the quality and the drive of the members of this university.'' The rankings were based on a survey for the THES of 3,703 academics worldwide, who were asked to identify up to 30 universities best for research within their own field of expertise.

This ensures that the rankings are topical and liable to change from year to year if institutions do not maintain research standards.

The table also includes data from 736 graduate employers from around the world, as well as the ratio of faculty to student numbers and a university's success in attracting foreign students and internationally renowned academics.

John O'Leary, Editor of the THES, pointed out that the rankings underlined the fierce competition between leading universities.

''Thirty different countries are represented in our top 200 so international competition is still intense. The leading Chinese universities have made real progress this year, and will no doubt challenge the leaders in years to come.''

UNI