Whereas many potential college students will crave massive campuses and the anonymity of a bustling scholar physique, others might be interested in the expertise {that a} smaller establishment can provide.
Instances Greater Schooling has as soon as once more revealed the perfect small universities throughout the globe – from the US, China and South Korea to India, Japan and France.
To be eligible for the rating, universities should seem in THE’s World University Rankings 2024, train greater than 4 topics and have fewer than 5,000 college students.
The common variety of college students at establishments within the 2024 finest small universities rating is 3,215. In distinction, the typical variety of college students at an establishment in THE’s essential world rating is 25,000.
Prime 20 small universities on the planet 2024
Regardless of its tiny measurement, Caltech’s credentials are spectacular. Not solely has it managed to defend its place as the perfect small college on the planet for one more yr, however it’s additionally seventh within the general World College Rankings. Not dangerous for an establishment with simply over 2,200 college students.
Caltech affords a variety of science and know-how programmes taught by world-renowned students, in addition to high-end amenities corresponding to its Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Attending Caltech offers the chance to hitch a bunch of award-winning alumni that features 39 Nobel laureates.
Caltech: ‘uniquely difficult but a wonderful place to study’
POSTECH was established in 1986 to supply superior training for potential engineers.
The college additionally affords programs and alternatives for college kids to develop into entrepreneurs, corresponding to collaborating in golf equipment, start-up prep teams, coaching on patents and leaves of absence to create a brand new enterprise.
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa is without doubt one of the smallest universities on this checklist, with beneath 700 college students.
It was based in 1810 and has seen many eminent figures go via it, together with poet Giosuè Carducci, Nobel prizewinner in physics Carlo Rubbia, physicist Enrico Fermi, former Italian prime minister Carlo Ciampi and mathematician Alessio Figalli.
The college focuses on educating within the humanities, the sciences and the political and social sciences.
A small university steeped in history and culture
Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Expertise was established in 2009, making it one of many youngest universities on this desk.
It could be small however it has daring ambitions to be ranked among the many prime 10 science and know-how universities by 2030.
All of the programs are taught in English and there’s a sturdy push in direction of internationalisation of the coed physique and educational workers.
Sant’Anna College of Superior Research counts a few of Italy’s most interesting scientific and political minds amongst its alumni, together with former Italian prime minister Giuliano Amato and neuroscientist Giuliano Tononi.
To attend the college, college students should obtain prime marks of their entrance examination and show proficiency in two languages. On reaching that, and gaining entry, college students can attend the college free.
The Indian Institute of Science was based in 1909 and is situated in Bangalore, the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state.
It contains six essential departments: organic sciences, chemical sciences, electrical sciences, interdisciplinary analysis, mechanical sciences, and bodily and mathematical sciences.
This high-achieving small college is situated within the stunning metropolis of Lyon.
École Normale Supérieure de Lyon maintains its excessive scholar grades partially by recruiting its college students from preparatory faculties round France. College students from different international locations could attend the college, however provided that they go the rigorous entrance exams.
Abu Dhabi University is the most important non-public college in Abu Dhabi.
It has three campuses – Khalifa Metropolis, Al Ain and Dubai – and 6 faculties: arts and sciences, enterprise, engineering, well being sciences, regulation and educational programmes for navy faculties.
Università della Svizzera Italiana was established in 1995 with campuses in Lugano, Mendrisio and Bellinzona. It’s the solely college in Switzerland whose official language is Italian.
The college has a 1:8 teacher-to-student ratio. There may be additionally a scholar newspaper known as L’universo.
Brandeis University is a brand new entry into this yr’s prime small universities checklist.
Positioned in Massachusetts, it is without doubt one of the largest universities on this checklist with slightly below 5,000 college students. Pulitzer Prize winners, main authors and a Nobel laureate might be discovered among the many college’s alumni, in addition to the creators of the tv collection Pals, David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
There are simply over 4,000 college students on the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and they’re unfold over a number of campuses round Sweden, with the most important campus in Uppsala.
The college affords excess of simply programs within the agricultural sciences. Its remit additionally incudes structure, engineering and economics.
A robust emphasis is positioned on analysis, and the establishment produces about 1,500 papers a yr.
Why is going to a small university beneficial?
One other new entry this yr, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Expertise is situated in Daegu, South Korea.
The college affords each undergraduate and postgraduate research. The college focuses on six majors together with rising supplies science, info and communication engineering, robotics engineering, vitality programs engineering, mind and cognitive sciences and new biology.
Sabancı University was arrange in 1994 by the Sabancı group.
The college affords a variety of educational programmes together with languages, pure sciences, engineering and enterprise.
It additionally runs a number of change programmes for college kids to check overseas, together with within the UK, the US, Spain, Japan, Germany and Canada.
Typically known as the “Diamond within the Dolomites”, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano has three campuses: in Bolzano, Brixen and Bruneck.
Multilingualism is without doubt one of the college’s defining traits, with lectures carried out in German, Italian and English. The college additionally strongly encourages college students to spend time overseas to additional these language abilities.
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented college that focuses on the fields of utilized science and engineering.
This establishment was based in 1993 by the Korean authorities to fulfill the nation’s demand for superior analysis and to boost the event of upper training in science and engineering
École des Ponts ParisTech is without doubt one of the oldest and most prestigious grandes écoles (a bunch of prestigious universities in France devoted to science and engineering analysis).
Upon its founding, the college’s major focus was to coach engineers, however now it has expanded to supply programmes in laptop science, arithmetic, finance, economics, city research and surroundings, and transport engineering.
The University of Vaasa is without doubt one of the largest suppliers of enterprise training in Finland, with slightly below 4,000 college students.
Each educational yr the college welcomes roughly 200 worldwide college students from throughout the globe as a part of its educational change programme.
SOAS University of London is a analysis college primarily based within the coronary heart of central London – in Bloomsbury – and a member faculty of the College of London.
With roots relationship again to 1916, the college is thought for the research of Asia, Africa and the Center East.
20. IMT Atlantique, France
IMT Atlantique was established in 2017 via the merger of two smaller establishments. It’s one among France’s grandes écoles and has three campuses: in Brest, Nantes and Rennes.
Greatest small universities 2024
Editor’s be aware: As a part of our THE statement on Ukraine revealed on 2 March 2022, Russian universities have been given much less prominence in our rankings. Russian universities that met the factors for this rating usually are not displayed within the desk above.