Why are the top universities in the world are American?

Question

What is the secret behind the success of American universities. I know that US education is actually failing, students rank 26th out of 35 industrialized countries. But when it comes to higher education, US universities are always the top choices. More funding? or because of those smart Jewish professors from Israel?

Answer 1

Definitely because of more funding. Many immigrants come to study abroad in US universities and many come to teach as professors. The public school system in the US is poor (in terms of condition and money..). And about 85% of students are enrolled in public schooling, so it makes sense. Also, I've noticed that US public high schools in more affluent areas tend to do better academically than poorer areas. It is all about funding.

But it is interesting how American universities come out on top of the world. 168 of the 500 (about 1/3) top World Universities are American, and 17 out of the top 20 are American. The other three are Cambridge and Oxford (in England) and the Univ. of Tokyo in Japan.

The above posters are wrong that there are very few good American universities. Then why are so many Nobel Prize winners educated in American universities?

American universities employ 70% of the world's living Nobel prize-winners, produce about 30% of the world's output of articles on science and engineering and 44% of the most frequently cited articles.

America, for obvious reasons, is by large margins the first-choice destination for foreign college students.


List:
World Rankings-Top World Universities

Rank Institution Country
1 Harvard Univ USA
2 Stanford Univ USA
3 Univ Cambridge UK
4 Univ California - Berkeley USA
5 Massachusetts Inst Tech (MIT) USA
6 California Inst Tech USA
7 Princeton Univ USA
8 Univ Oxford UK
9 Columbia Univ USA
10 Univ Chicago USA
11 Yale Univ
12 Cornell Univ USA
13 Univ California - San Diego USA
14 Tokyo Univ Japan
15 Univ Pennsylvania USA
16 Univ California - Los Angeles USA
17 Univ California - San Francisco USA
18 Univ Wisconsin - Madison USA
19 Univ Michigan - Ann Arbor USA
20 Univ Washington - Seattle USA

Answer 2

I'm neither jewish nor from Israel but I believe the reason my students do well and why state funded colleges are so sought after is the quality of instruction. It is also the fact that students do sometimes have to be left behind.

Ultimately you hit upon the reason for Colleges doing well in your sad attempt to single out Jews. Professors are indeed the top reason our higher education ranks so highly.

Answer 3

I agree with MenifeeManiac, Oxford and Cambridge are top British universities as is London University.

The Sorbonne in France is an excellent university.

Singapore University in Singapore is a top university.

Here in Australia there are a number of top universities, world renowned for their teaching and research. The "Australian National University" (ANU), Melbourne and Monash universities, Sydney University and Murdoch universities.

There are a few good American Universities -- Yale, Harvard, Cornell, UCLA etc while the majority of American universities are considered very low standard universities.

Answer 4

The US has about two dozen very good to excellent universities. The rest of them are about average or below compared to Europe and the far east.

Answer 5

Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT, UCLA, UC Berkley, UC San Diego, Cal Poly tech, etc.

Answer 6

They are not. The top universities in the world are in Europe and India.

Answer 7

Oxford, Cambridge, Eton...All great US institutions...

Answer 8

That is a mistaken assumption.

Answer 9

ARE you ARE retAREded?