MS has 2 of the 500 best universities in the world for 2026, Time says. Where they rank & why
Two Mississippi universities are among the world’s top higher education institutions for 2026, alongside schools like Yale University and Stanford University, according to a new ranking.
The list, published Jan. 28 by TIME magazine, compares 500 universities from across the world that have been around longer than three years, offer bachelor’s degrees and register more than 2,000 students.
“These lists help us understand where students are likely to achieve the greatest success and contribute most to society as the world order shifts,” according to TIME.
Here’s which Mississippi universities made the list and where they landed in the ranking.
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ranks 359 on TIME’s list of top 500 universities in the world for 2026. Here’s how the school score in other categories:
- Total Score: 44.09
- Academic Capacity & Performance: 44.60
- Innovation & Economic Impact: 49.81
- Global Engagement: 23.87
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University ranks 445 on TIME’s list of top 500 universities in the world for 2026. Here’s how the school score in other categories:
- Total Score: 39.67
- Academic Capacity & Performance: 38.05
- Innovation & Economic Impact: 47.42
- Global Engagement: 26.16
What are the best schools in the world for 2026?
These are the top 10 universities in the world for 2026, according to TIME’s ranking:
1. University of Oxford
2. Yale University
3. Stanford University
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5. The University of Chicago
6. Harvard University
7. University of Cambridge
8. Imperial College London
9. University of Michigan
10. University of Pennsylvania
How did TIME rank universities?
TIME’s ranking in partnership with Statista R, a global provider of market and consumer data rankings, emphasizes the following three main pillars: academic capacity and performance, innovation and economic impact and global engagement, analysts said.
A score was calculated for each pillar then aggregated into a total score by which universities were ranked, according to TIME.
