Israeli academia was once again represented among the world’s leading research institutions, with two Israeli universities earning places in the top 100 of the 2026 Shanghai ranking.
The Weizmann Institute of Science ranked 71st worldwide, maintaining the position it held in the previous ranking, while the Hebrew University of Jerusalem placed 89th, slipping one spot from last year’s 88th place.
The Shanghai ranking is regarded as one of the leading international measures of academic excellence. Each year, it evaluates more than 2,500 higher education institutions worldwide based on criteria including the number of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners among faculty and alumni, researcher citations, and publications in leading scientific journals.
The Technion, which had ranked among the world’s top 100 universities over the previous two years, fell outside the top 100 in this year’s ranking.
The top of the global table remained dominated by leading American universities. Harvard University retained first place, followed by Stanford University in second and MIT in third. The University of Cambridge ranked fourth, while the University of California, Berkeley, completed the top five.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion congratulated the Hebrew University on its achievement. "Congratulations to the Hebrew University on another achievement and on its place, for another year, among the 100 best universities in the world," Leon said. "This important ranking reinforces its standing as one of the world’s leading research institutions and reflects its excellence, the innovation it leads, and its impact on the international academic arena."