Oxford University has kept its top spot in the world rankings for a sixth consecutive year.

Times Higher Education (THE) has announced the results of itsWorld University Rankings 2022, with Oxford retaining its number one ranking.

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In a year dominated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the rankings reflect the vital role of universities in understanding and managing the crisis as a number of institutions around the world saw significant boosts in their citation scores (a measure of a university’s research influence and impact in spreading new knowledge and ideas) from Covid-19 focused research.

Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: "My colleagues and I are absolutely delighted to have achieved the top ranking again. There are many great universities around the world and we are proud to be in their company.

"This past year has demonstrated to our publics, our governments, and even to ourselves just how much universities can contribute to society. The vaccine Oxford developed is being distributed in over 170 countries and over a billion doses have been manufactured.

"Together our universities have made the strongest possible case for renewed public investment in research universities."

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This year’s rankings – based on a methodology that includes analysis of 14.4 million research publications, a survey of 22,000 academics around the world and data on teaching, research – saw a record 1,662 universities from 99 countries and regions appear in the table.

California Institute of Technology and Harvard University are ranked joint second while Stanford University is fourth.

Cambridge University and Massachusetts Institue of Technology are joint fifth.

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