World's top 10 universities

New Delhi: The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means “community of teachers and scholars. In this modern era of competition every person wants to graduate from one of the leading universities in order to be at par in terms of knowledge with others.The QS World Universities 2013/14 rankings saw MIT maintain its position as the top-ranked university worldwide.We bring you the world's best ten universities according to QS: 1. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT) MIT is located in Boston, US. It has five schools and one college with 32 academic departments. This private university has a strong emphasis on scientific, engineering and research.Around 100 faculties are employed in MIT. The current 168-acre campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1.6 km along the northern bank of the Charles River basin.In the past 60 years, MIT's educational disciplines have expanded beyond the physical sciences and engineering into fields such as biology, economics, linguistics, and management.2. Harvard University It is one of the prestigious universities in the world. It was established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. It is the oldest institution in the United States of higher learning.The university constitutes 11 separate academic units with campuses all over the Boston area. Eight US presidents have studied from this university and around 75 Nobel laureates have been It offers 46 undergraduate concentrations (majors),[ 134 graduate degrees, and 32 professional degrees.For the 2008–2009 academic year, Harvard granted 1,664 baccalaureate degrees, 400 masters degrees, 512 doctoral degrees, and 4,460 professional degrees. 3. University Of Cambridge It is the second largest university after Oxford University in the United Kingdom and the third oldest surviving university in the world. The university has 114 libraries.The Cambridge University Library is the central research library, which holds over 8 million volumes.The University has research departments and teaching faculties in most academic disciplines, and spends around £650 million in a year for research. All research and lectures are conducted by University Departments. 4. University College London It is a public research university located in London. and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London. UCL has the highest number of academic and research staff in any British University.It was the first university to give admissions to the students on secular basis and to admit women. ULC has 100 departments, institutes and research centers It has around 26,220 students and 10,100 faculties. 5. Imperial College London In fifth place is the UK's Imperial College London.It was inaugurated on July 8, 1907 and currently houses four colleges, namely the Imperial College Faculty of Natural Sciences, the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, the Imperial College Faculty of Engineering and the Imperial College Business School.It has an annual enrollment of over 13,500 students and 3,330 academic and research staff. 6. University Of Oxford This is the second oldest surviving university in the world. Its foundation years are unknown. However it dates back to the 11th century. Students from different countries study post-graduate courses at Oxford through Rhodes scholarship.The University maintains the largest university library system in the UK. It does not have a main campus. Instead colleges, departments, accommodation, and other facilities are scattered throughout the city centre.The Science Area, in which most science departments are located, is the area that bears closest resemblance to a campus. The ten acre Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in the northwest of the city is currently under development. However the larger colleges' sites are of similar size to these areas. 7. Stanford University Stanford University is recognized as one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions, with one of the most renowned faculties in the nation. Established in 1885, Stanford University offers its students a remarkable range of academic and extracurricular activities. Stanford is said to be, after Harvard, the US' most selective university, accepting only 7.1 per cent of applicants. 8. Yale UniversityAmerica's Yale University nabs seventh place in this year's QS rankings.Established in 1701, the Ivy league research institute boasts of its affiliation to nine Nobel laureates among alumni, faculty and staff.Five US Presidents, 19 US Supreme Court Justices, and several foreign heads of state have all graduated from here. 9. University Of ChicagoThe University of Chicago, USA, comes in at Number Eight this year.Founded in 1890, it enrolls over 5,000 undergraduates and 10,000 post graduates every year to a multitude of disciplines and various programmes.So far, the university has produced 87 Nobel laureates, 49 Rhodes Scholars and nine Fields Medalists. 10. California Institute Of Technology (CALTECH)In tenth place is the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).Located in the US state of California, the institute was established in 1891.The 124-acre campus houses six academic divisions catering to science and engineering.It has an annual enrolment of over 900 undergraduates and 1,200 post graduates.