UPF, ranked 12th worldwide among the top universities under 50 years old
Contra el genocidi i contra la violació dels drets humans, a Gaza i arreu del món
Peace comes when you talk to the person you most hate. And that’s where the courage of a leader comes.
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021), first recipient of an honorary doctorate from UPF
These words, spoken by Desmond Tutu, the first person ever to be awarded an honorary doctorate by UPF, are more applicable today than ever. The UPF condemns, and will always condemn, the use of violence to settle disputes. At UPF, we advocate approaching political or territorial conflicts based on dialogue and respect for all peoples and minorities.
As a university, we also want to show our support to the academic community in countries at war. Universities and scientific institutions are more necessary than ever in these regions. Access to education and the promotion of critical thinking, in the context of strong independent institutions, are the way to ensure the informed debate and reflection that can open the door to new avenues for finding solutions.
At UPF, we are aware of the university community’s concern for the human rights violations we are seeing in the conflicts around us. That is why on this website you will find information about campaigns and actions related to current conflicts, as well as opinion pieces and institutional statements. We also offer a dedicated e-mail address – [email protected] – to contact the university and let us know about your interests and concerns.
UPF, ranked 12th worldwide among the top universities under 50 years old
The Times Higher Education (THE) supplement, which produces one of the world's most prestigious and influential university rankings, has published the fourth edition of the "100 Under 50" ranking, a list of the Top 100 universities in the world under 50 years old. UPF is ranked 12th worldwide, 5th in Europe and 1st in Spain, which means that the University has improved its position compared to the previous ranking (table 1).
| Table 1. UPF's evolution in the "100 Under 50" Times Higher Education ranking | ||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||
| Spain | Europe | Worldwide | Spain | Europe | Worldwide | Spain | Europe | Worldwide |
| 1st | 5th | 12th | 1st | 7th | 13th | 2nd | 13th | 25th |
Source: own source
Table 2 shows the results of the '100 Under 50' ranking.
| Table 2. Top 15 best young universities according to Times Higher Education ranking | |||
| 2015 ranking | Year of foundation | Institution | Country / Region |
| 1st | 1969 | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 2nd | 1986 | Pohang University of Science and Technology | South Korea |
| 3rd | 1971 | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | South Korea |
| 4th | 1991 | Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| 5th | 1991 | Nanyang Technological University | Singapore |
| 6th | 1976 | Maastricht University | Netherlands |
| 7th | 1965 | University of California, Irvine | United States |
| 8th | 1965 | University of California, Santa Cruz | United States |
| 9th | 1965 | University of Warwick | United Kingdom |
| 10th | 1971 | Paris-Sud University | France |
| 11th | 1971 | Pierre and Marie Curie University | France |
| 12th | 1990 | Pompeu Fabra University | Spain |
| 13th | 1996 | Sabancı University | Turkey |
| 14th | 1984 | City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| 15th | 1967 | Ulm University | Germany |
Source: Times Higher Education 2015
The ranking results have been announced during the 2015 Times Higher Education Young Universities Summit, hosted by Dublin City University. During the event, Phil Baty, the ranking editor, has also announced that UPF will host the next summit, to be held in Barcelona on the 6 th and 7 th of April 2016.
The closing session of the 2015 summit will take place on the 30 th of April and will feature the participation of the UPF Rector, Jaume Casals, who has praised the fact to host the 2016 summit: "For UPF, hosting this summit is an excellent opportunity not only to contribute to the international projection of the University, but also to increase the collective awareness and to improve the public perception about the truly mission that we all have both in a university such as ours and, in general, in young universities. The summit has to become the space for these institutions to discuss the challenges and opportunities we will have to face in the coming years".
This activity takes place within the UPF 25th anniversary celebration. During the following 2015-2016 academic year, the University will organise a full range of activities around three focus of major relevance for the University's future: internationalization, alumni and the public presentation of the UPF Strategic Plan.
Six Spanish universities in the ranking
By countries, Australia is the one that has more universities in the Top 100 (16), closely followed by the United Kingdom (15) and, a bit further behind, by Germany (7), the United States (7), Spain (6) and France (5).
The six Spanish universities which are better classified are as follows: UPF (ranked 12th), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (29th), the Autonomous University of Madrid (46th), Rovira i Virgili University (80th), the University of Vigo (88th) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (97).
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