Harvard tops world university rankings for the fourth year

Varsity is followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology at second and Stanford University at the third rank respectively

Harvard University has again topped world university rankings pushing down Cambridge and Oxford University to fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Harvard University is followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology at second and Stanford University at the third rank respectively, according to this year's Times Higher Education World Reputation.

According to the Independent, Oxford and Cambridge, which were once regarded as bastions of academic excellence and magnet for the world's best talent, have fallen behind their American rivals with only ten British universities making to the list at all.

Phil Baty, editor of Times Higher Education Rankings said that the fallout of the British Universities from the list, which saw a 20 percent drop since 2011, is a 'matter of concern' and they must protect the 'United Kingdom's biggest university brands', the report added.

The league table of the world's top universities is chosen by 10,536 senior academics from 133 countries, with each country nominating the top institutions in their particular field of excellence, the report said.

The top 10 universities are:

1. Harvard University

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3. Stanford University

4. University of Cambridge

5. University of Oxford

6. University of California, Berkley

7. Princeton University

8. Yale University

9. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

10. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)