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Field · Physics and Astronomy

Top Physics and Astronomy Research Institutions

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks first in 2022–2025, out of 1,646 ranked institutions.

Composite score: field-normalised excellence, output and total citations weighted 50 / 30 / 20, each as a percentile so no single heavy-tailed measure dominates. Floor: 40 fractional works in this field.

Ranked by research quality, 2022–2025

#InstitutionScoreTop-10% rateWorksCitationsAll time
1 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States · Cambridge 100.0 37.7% 1.3k 19k#1
2 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina · Beijing 90.6 23.4% 4k 32k#44
3 Tsinghua UniversityChina · Beijing 85.2 26.4% 1.8k 17k#51
4 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance · Paris 81.3 25.3% 3.1k 28k#8
5 Princeton UniversityUnited States · Princeton 78.3 40.1% 1k 16k#5
6 Stanford UniversityUnited States · Stanford 75.8 29.9% 1k 14k#2
7 California Institute of TechnologyUnited States · Pasadena 73.7 34.4% 1.1k 16k#6
8 ETH ZurichSwitzerland · Zurich 71.9 31.6% 1k 12k#20
9 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom · Oxford 70.3 33.4% 1.1k 13k#22
10 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina · Beijing 68.9 26.0% 2.8k 22k—
11 Harvard UniversityUnited States · Cambridge 67.6 39.6% 617 11k#3
12 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina · Hefei 66.4 24.0% 2.2k 17k#83
13 Peking UniversityChina · Beijing 65.4 28.9% 1.6k 14k—
14 The University of TokyoJapan · Tokyo 64.4 23.8% 2.1k 17k#12
15 Zhejiang UniversityChina · Hangzhou 63.4 21.8% 1.1k 8.9k—
16 Beihang UniversityChina · Beijing 62.6 25.0% 1.3k 10k—
17 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom · Cambridge 61.7 32.8% 1.2k 14k#17
18 Beijing Institute of TechnologyChina · Beijing 61.0 21.5% 959 7.5k—
19 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina · Shanghai 60.2 27.2% 1.6k 12k—
20 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States · Berkeley 59.6 21.7% 1.6k 13k#4
21 École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneSwitzerland · Lausanne 58.9 29.3% 859 8.6k#38
22 National University of SingaporeSingapore · Singapore 58.3 23.0% 660 6k#100
23 University of California, Santa BarbaraUnited States · Santa Barbara 57.7 29.8% 612 8.5k#7
24 Nanyang Technological UniversitySingapore · Singapore 57.1 25.1% 476 5k—
25 Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryUnited States · Berkeley 56.5 29.7% 848 8.1k#13
26 Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChina · Wuhan 56.0 21.4% 1.3k 9.6k—
27 National Institute for Materials ScienceJapan · Tsukuba 55.5 17.8% 441 5.1k—
28 University of ChicagoUnited States · Chicago 55.0 33.0% 774 9.1k#19
29 Yale UniversityUnited States · New Haven 54.5 29.3% 553 6.6k#23
30 Nanjing UniversityChina · Nanjing 54.1 24.0% 1k 9.7k—
31 University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUnited States · Urbana 53.6 27.3% 824 7.9k#14
32 Columbia UniversityUnited States · New York 53.2 32.9% 612 7.8k#29
33 University of WashingtonUnited States · Seattle 52.8 28.9% 738 7.1k#34
34 Sun Yat-sen UniversityChina · Guangzhou 52.4 26.5% 1.3k 11k—
35 Hefei UniversityChina · Hefei 52.0 29.1% 347 2.7k—
36 Southern University of Science and TechnologyChina · Shenzhen 51.6 22.5% 549 5.3k—
37 University of Hong KongHong Kong · Pok Fu Lam 51.2 27.2% 494 5k—
38 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina · Harbin 50.9 20.7% 1.1k 8.6k—
39 University of California San DiegoUnited States · San Diego 50.5 30.1% 684 6.7k#26
40 University of Maryland, College ParkUnited States · College Park 50.2 30.0% 854 8.8k#27
41 Fudan UniversityChina · Shanghai 49.9 25.4% 886 6.9k—
42 University of California, Los AngelesUnited States · Los Angeles 49.5 23.0% 993 8k#30
43 Kyoto UniversityJapan · Kyoto 49.2 24.8% 1.2k 8.9k#55
44 Wuhan UniversityChina · Wuhan 48.9 23.7% 862 7.1k—
45 University of MichiganUnited States · Ann Arbor 48.6 23.3% 1k 9.3k#24
46 Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced MicrostructuresChina · Nanjing 48.3 26.7% 291 3.9k—
47 Cornell UniversityUnited States · Ithaca 48.0 24.8% 748 7.3k#10
48 Pennsylvania State UniversityUnited States · State College 47.7 25.1% 776 7k#39
49 University of CopenhagenDenmark · Copenhagen 47.5 37.1% 460 6.5k#90
50 National Institute of Standards and TechnologyUnited States · Gaithersburg 47.2 20.0% 418 3.6k#9
51 Institute of PhysicsChina · Beijing 46.9 24.6% 366 4.2k—
52 University of Colorado BoulderUnited States · Boulder 46.6 25.1% 811 8k#46
53 Technical University of MunichGermany · Munich 46.4 30.6% 779 6.3k#36
54 University College LondonUnited Kingdom · London 46.1 25.9% 756 7.7k#88
55 University of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaChina · Chengdu 45.9 12.6% 1.2k 6k—
56 National University of Defense TechnologyChina · Changsha 45.6 16.4% 964 5.4k—
57 Los Alamos National LaboratoryUnited States · Los Alamos 45.4 20.4% 1.2k 7.4k#15
58 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands · Delft 45.2 23.4% 518 4.7k#48
59 University of GenevaSwitzerland · Geneva 44.9 36.0% 528 8.4k#67
60 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenGermany · Munich 44.7 33.8% 525 5.7k#62
61 Tohoku UniversityJapan · Sendai 44.5 18.1% 1k 6.4k#45
62 Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityChina · Xi'an 44.3 18.1% 1.1k 7k—
63 University of PennsylvaniaUnited States · Philadelphia 44.1 29.4% 362 4.7k#28
64 Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong · Hong Kong 43.8 27.5% 338 3.7k—
65 Weizmann Institute of ScienceIsrael · Rehovot 43.6 29.7% 487 5.4k#40
66 Beijing Academy of Quantum Information SciencesChina · Beijing 43.4 28.1% 256 3.1k—
67 Purdue University West LafayetteUnited States · West Lafayette 43.2 12.3% 1.1k 5.1k#57
68 Sorbonne UniversitéFrance · Paris 43.0 26.8% 735 7.3k#92
69 Université Paris-SaclayFrance · Gif-sur-Yvette 42.8 28.0% 845 6.9k—
70 Hunan UniversityChina · Changsha 42.6 27.0% 405 4.2k—
71 Stony Brook UniversityUnited States · Stony Brook 42.4 33.8% 556 5.6k#81
72 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom · London 42.3 25.6% 837 6.7k#32
73 South China University of TechnologyChina · Guangzhou 42.1 21.2% 548 4.6k—
74 Johannes Gutenberg University MainzGermany · Mainz 41.9 34.6% 421 4.4k—
75 Shenzhen UniversityChina · Shenzhen 41.7 19.6% 670 4.9k—
76 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and TechnologySouth Korea · Daejeon 41.5 20.1% 483 3.4k—
77 The University of Texas at AustinUnited States · Austin 41.3 26.9% 741 7.3k#31
78 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina · Xi'an 41.2 24.6% 587 4.6k—
79 Argonne National LaboratoryUnited States · Lemont 41.0 24.3% 596 4.4k#18
80 Paul Scherrer InstituteSwitzerland · Villigen 40.8 25.0% 388 3.2k—
81 Universität HamburgGermany · Hamburg 40.7 29.9% 561 4.6k#75
82 Shanxi UniversityChina · Taiyuan 40.5 19.9% 470 3.3k—
83 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States · Baltimore 40.3 32.0% 533 6.9k#65
84 Tianjin UniversityChina · Tianjin 40.2 19.0% 799 5.6k—
85 Oak Ridge National LaboratoryUnited States · Oak Ridge 40.0 19.2% 767 4.3k#25
86 Heidelberg UniversityGermany · Heidelberg 39.9 32.8% 697 6.9k#68
87 Nanjing University of Posts and TelecommunicationsChina · Nanjing 39.7 13.4% 526 3.3k—
88 University of ArizonaUnited States · Tucson 39.5 20.4% 1k 8.3k#59
89 Universidad Autónoma de MadridSpain · Madrid 39.4 33.0% 497 5k#87
90 Flatiron Health (United States)United States · New York 39.2 49.8% 277 5.6k—
91 Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyGermany · Karlsruhe 39.1 26.9% 714 5k#72
92 Southeast UniversityChina · Nanjing 38.9 22.7% 730 5.3k—
93 Perimeter InstituteCanada · Waterloo 38.8 53.6% 370 5.7k—
94 Shandong UniversityChina · Jinan 38.7 20.3% 894 6.3k—
95 Uppsala UniversitySweden · Uppsala 38.5 31.1% 497 4.5k—
96 European Organization for Nuclear ResearchSwitzerland · Geneva 38.4 32.4% 917 6.6k#33
97 Tel Aviv UniversityIsrael · Tel Aviv 38.2 24.4% 560 4.7k#76
98 Universität InnsbruckAustria · Innsbruck 38.1 28.1% 255 2.9k#93
99 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong · Hong Kong 38.0 28.9% 284 2.8k—
100 University of TorontoCanada · Toronto 37.8 24.9% 604 5.5k#61

institutions ranked worldwide in Physics and Astronomy (1,646). rank on the composite score within the stated pool. The score track runs 0 to 100; the rate track carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field.

How spread out this pool is

Every row above on one axis — one tick each, right is a higher score. A field where the top few are far clear of everyone and one that runs down evenly look identical as a table.

38 – 41: 21 places41 – 44: 16 places44 – 47: 13 places47 – 50: 11 places50 – 53: 8 places53 – 56: 6 places56 – 60: 6 places60 – 63: 4 places63 – 66: 3 places66 – 69: 2 places69 – 72: 3 places72 – 75: 1 places75 – 78: 1 places78 – 81: 2 places81 – 84: 0 places84 – 88: 1 places88 – 91: 1 places91 – 94: 0 places94 – 97: 0 places97 – 100: 1 places38100

One bar per band of score, counting the rows on this page.

Ranked by volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 4k works
  2. 2 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 3.1k works
  3. 3 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 2.8k works
  4. 4 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina 2.2k works
  5. 5 The University of TokyoJapan 2.1k works
  6. 6 Tsinghua UniversityChina 1.8k works
  7. 7 Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityRussia 1.7k works
  8. 8 Peking UniversityChina 1.6k works
  9. 9 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States 1.6k works
  10. 10 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 1.6k works
  11. 11 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States 1.3k works
  12. 12 Beihang UniversityChina 1.3k works
  13. 13 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States 1.3k works
  14. 14 Sun Yat-sen UniversityChina 1.3k works
  15. 15 Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChina 1.3k works

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