The rankings are developed based on responses to questionnaires sent to the world’s leading academics and take into account these senior figures’ opinions. They assess research-intensive universities across 18 performance indicators, which are divided into five pillars covering their core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and internationalisation.
The University - one of only twelve UK Universities in the top 100 - fell slightly from 51 place in 2023. Manchester is also ranked the 6 best university in the UK and 52 in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, with the University’s social and environmental impact ranked in the top ten globally (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings).
The last 12 months have seen a raft of major developments and initiatives at Manchester. The University has marked its bicentenary with a huge number of events across campus celebrating 200 years of learning, innovation and research. Unit M, a new capability to drive the University’s approach to innovation , was launched at the World Academic Summit. Staff, students, alumni and partners are currently participating in Manchester 2035 , the University’s bold new strategy for the next decade.
Whilst rankings don’t measure everything we value, Manchester’s place among the world’s top universities is testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire community. We excel in pioneering research, outstanding teaching, and social responsibility and it has been exciting to share our campus and city with delegates at this week’s Summit.
President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Duncan Ivison said: "Whilst rankings don’t measure everything we value, Manchester’s place among the world’s top universities is testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire community. We excel in pioneering research, outstanding teaching, and social responsibility and it has been exciting to share our campus and city with delegates at this week’s Summit."
"However, we recognise there is always room for improvement. Collectively, over the next decade, we need to be more impactful, more engaged, more innovative, and more committed to excellence than we have ever been in our history. This is the vision that is inspiring us as we begin to develop our new Manchester 2035 strategy over the coming months."
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education’s chief global affairs officer, said: "While, overall, the picture of UK higher education in our rankings is positive, the sector is being battered by numerous prevailing winds. Chief amongst them is the extremely stretched finances it is facing and the restrictions on recruiting international students making it harder for them still, making it almost impossible to see how the sector can sustain its position in the coming years without significant help.
"We have heard positive words from education secretary Bridget Phillipson, which is very encouraging for the sector. We hope this more positive environment will translate for better news for UK HE which has somehow stayed world-leading despite the extremely tough funding environment it finds itself in."
The Times Higher Education website contains full list of the 100 universities with the best reputation in the world.