Science Explorer Question CatalogueQuestions Back to mapMap
Compare · Institutions

Harvard University vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology

On research quality in 2022-now, Harvard University ranks #8 in the world and Massachusetts Institute of Technology #19, of 28,054 institutions. Harvard University stands higher in 7 of the 16 fields both publish in, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 9.

Research profiles alike: -0.16different shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

Harvard University

United States · Cambridge

World rank, 2022-now
#8
#1 all time
Works, 2022-now
25k
fractional
Top-10% rate
28.6%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
42%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Aging, Endocrine and Autonomic Systems, Family Practice.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

United States · Cambridge

World rank, 2022-now
#19
#4 all time
Works, 2022-now
13k
fractional
Top-10% rate
27.8%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
36%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Structural Biology, Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics, Nuclear and High Energy Physics.

Who leads in each field?

Harvard University stands higher in 7 of 16 fields, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 9. Each bar is that side's standing among all institutions ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

Harvard University 79 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  1. #1Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#24
  2. -Chemistry#28
  3. -Computer Science#36
  4. -Decision Sciences#50
  5. -Earth and Planetary Sciences#36
  6. #4Economics, Econometrics and Finance-
  7. -Engineering#89
  8. -Environmental Science#78
  9. #1Health Professions-
  10. #1Immunology and Microbiology-
  11. -Materials Science#66
  12. -Mathematics#8
  13. #1Medicine#353
  14. #1Neuroscience#19
  15. #8Physics and Astronomy#1
  16. #5Psychology-

Standing is the percentile of world rank within each field, 2022-now; the printed number is the rank itself. A dash means the field is too small there to rank. How sides are compared.

Where does each put its research?

Not who is better, but what each side chooses to work on. A country or institution that puts twice the world's share of its research into a field sits at 2×, whatever its size.

  1. Dentistry1.3× 0.1×
  2. Nursing1.3× 0.1×
  3. Medicine2.2× 0.3×
  4. Health Professions1.7× 0.3×
  5. Immunology and Microbiology2.4× 0.8×
  6. Veterinary0.5× 0.2×
  7. Psychology1.7× 0.6×
  8. Neuroscience3.0× 1.4×
  9. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.9× 0.5×
  10. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology2.1× 1.3×
  11. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.2× 0.2×
  12. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.1× 1.1×
  13. Social Sciences0.4× 0.5×
  14. Arts and Humanities0.3× 0.5×
  15. Environmental Science0.6× 0.8×
  16. Mathematics1.2× 2.7×
  17. Business, Management and Accounting0.2× 0.6×
  18. Decision Sciences0.6× 1.7×
  19. Chemistry0.4× 1.4×
  20. Physics and Astronomy1.1× 4.7×
  21. Computer Science0.3× 1.6×
  22. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.4× 1.9×
  23. Materials Science0.3× 1.7×
  24. Engineering0.3× 1.6×
  25. Energy0.2× 1.4×
  26. Chemical Engineering0.2× 2.2×
Harvard UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Location quotient in 2022-now: the share of each side's research in the field over the world's share. 1× is the world's balance; the axis runs from a quarter of it to four times. Fields where Harvard University leans further are at the top, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's at the bottom. How research profiles are compared.

How has their output grown?

2.5k5k7.5kHarvard University5,663 in 2025Massachusetts Institute of Technology2,956 in 20251990200020102020

Fractional works per year. The latest, partial year is left off.

Which publishes more research, Harvard University or Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

Harvard University publishes 2.0× as much research as Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2022-now (25k against 13k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, Harvard University or Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

28.6% of Harvard University's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 27.8% for Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Other comparisons

Compare any two

Questions people ask

Which is stronger in research, Harvard or MIT?

On research quality in 2022-now, Harvard University ranks #8 in the world and Massachusetts Institute of Technology #19, of 28,054 institutions. Harvard University stands higher in 7 of the 16 fields both publish in, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 9.

All 1,268 questions in the Question Catalogue