40 French schools in the new Times Higher Education ranking

As it does at the beginning of each academic year, and for the 17th year, the Times Higher Education has published its 2021 ranking, which includes more than 1500 universities in 93 countries.

 

New grouping strategy

Of the five institutions ranked in the Top 200, namely Paris Sciences et Lettres University (46th), Sorbonne University (87th), École Polytechnique (93rd), Paris University (136th) and Paris-Saclay University (178th), four of them are universities resulting from recent groupings of institutions. This strategy was particularly praised by the French Minister for Higher Education, who sees these groupings as "new models of universities" which "are proving their relevance and are now recognised abroad, testifying to the quality of our teaching and research at the international level".

 

40 classified French institution

In total, in the Top 1000 of this ranking, around forty French establishments stand out.

In addition to the top five in the Top 200, there are a total of 17 establishments in the Top 500. They are:

- Ecole Télécom Paris,

- Ecole des Ponts – ParisTech,

- the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon,

- the University of Montpellier,

- Aix-Marseille University,

- the University of Grenoble – Alps,

- IMT Atlantique,

- the University of Versailles – Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines,

- the University of Bordeaux,

- the Ecole Centrale of Nantes,

- the Federal University of Toulouse,

- the Agro Institute.

 

Between the 500th and the 1000th place, the following 23 establishments are ranked :

 

- Ecole Centrale Supélec,

- Claude Bernard University (Lyon 1),

- the University of the Côte d'Azur,

- Sciences Po (Paris),

- the University of Strasbourg,

- the Ecole Télécom Sud Paris,

- the University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté,

- the University of Clermont-Auvergne,

- the Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne,

- the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris-Saclay,

- the University of Lille,

- the University of Lorraine,

- the University of Nantes,

- the INSA Lyon,

- Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Paris 1),

- the University of Rennes,

- the University of Cergy-Pontoise,

- Ecole Centrale de Lyon,

- Lumière University (Lyon 2),

- the University of Normandy,

- the University of Technology of Compiègne,

- the University of Technology of Troyes,

- the University of Tours.

 

A balanced methodology

According to the THE, the methodology adopted is "balanced and comprehensive" in that it was developed "after more than a decade of work in consultation with the world's leading universities". It is essentially based on 13 performance indicators, such as the quality of training, research results (publications), links with the world of industry and international influence.

 

Read the full Times Higher Education ranking