World Ranking of Top Computer Science Universities in 2020
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
In August 2020, Research.com released the latest edition of the annual ranking for top computer science and electronics universities in the world. The ranking is unique, as its main focus is on measuring the influence and contributions of researchers and scholars from each institution, based on objective data reflecting the reputation of academic scholars, a metric that is frequently missing from other popular rankings.
What is more, we hope it will inspire researchers, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs around the world to find out where leading experts work and carry out their research. It is a great opportunity for all of us to learn which institutions and countries host the leading experts in computer science.
For the 2020 edition of the ranking, more than 4500 scientist profiles from 640+ universities have been examined with several indicators and metrics reviewed in order to consider each institution’s inclusion in the ranking. The position in the ranking is based on a total sum of H-index values from Google Scholar for scientists affiliated with a given university. Only contributing scientists with an H-index >= 40 and a significant number of computer science-related publications on DBLP were considered.
The key findings for the 2020 edition of top computer science universities ranking
- Universities from the United States are still dominating the ranking with 156 institutions representing 25.9% of all leading universities.
- The other countries with leading positions in the ranking are the United Kingdom (51 universities or 8.5%), China (44 universities or 7.3%), Germany (41 universities or 6.8%), and Italy (33 scientists or 5.5%).
- In 2020 Carnegie Mellon University was the research institution hosting the highest number of leading computer scientists with as many as 116 of them working there this year
- The only university in the top 10 located outside the US is the Swiss École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
- The highest-ranking Asian university is the National University of Singapore located on rank 26
- The highest number of influential universities is located in Europe with a total of 285 universities or 47.3% of all leading universities
The full ranking for the 2024 list of top computer science universities can be found here:
TOP COMPUTER SCIENCE UNIVERSITIES RANKING
Professor Imed Bouchrika, a computer scientist responsible for making sure all data in the ranking remained unbiased, accurate, and up-to-date said:
“Because of the need to have a transparent methodology based on rational and well-established metrics, it’s without a doubt that the main contributor of success for an institution stems from the reputation of its staff. Besides, when it comes to tertiary education, research is the thrust for such success. The rankings of universities in the field of computer science based on objective data compiled from top scientists would serve to produce a fair framework for ranking academic institutions where students can have the opportunity to be educated and supervised by leading scholars. It was unfortunate to spot numerous prestigious universities with a considerable number of leading scientists being poorly ranked by other mainstream ranking providers.“
Countries & regions with the highest number of leading computer science universities
Universities from the United States continue to dominate the list with 156 institutions included in 2020 which represents 25.9% of the whole ranking. The other leading countries are the United Kingdom with 51 universities, China with 44 universities, Germany with 41 universities, Italy with 33 universities, and Canada with 31 universities.
In Asia, the country with the highest number of leading universities is China, with a total of 44 universities.
In the Middle East, the country with the highest number of leading universities is Israel, with a total of 7 universities, closely followed by Turkey with 6 ranking universities.
In South America, the country with the highest number of leading universities is Brazil, with a total of 11 universities. The only other ranking country in that region is Chile, with 2 universities.
In Oceania, the country with the highest number of leading universities is Australia, with a total of 23 universities. The only other ranking country in that region is New Zealand, with 5 universities.
In Africa, only two countries made the ranking – Tunisia and South Africa – both with only 1 university on the list.
9 out of 10 universities in the top 10 are from the United States (the only one that is not is the Swiss École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne).
As far as geographical regions are concerned, the highest number of influential universities is located in Europe with a total of 285 universities or 47.3% of all leading universities. The least represented regions are South America (13 universities, 11 from Brazil and 2 from Chile) and Africa (with only 2 universities being ranked: the University of Sfax from Tunisia, and Stellenbosch University from South Africa).
H-index ranking – leaders, averages, and distribution
- Carnegie Mellon University from the US tops the list of leading computer science universities with a total H-index of 7,152 and 116 scientists from that institution.
- For Europe, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne from Switzerland is ranked the first in the region with a world rank of 7.
- National University of Singapore leads the top list in Asia with an H-index of 1,811 and a world rank of 26.
- For Oceania, University of Melbourne from Australia is on top of the list with a world rank of 65.
- Federal University of Minas Gerais from Brazil is the first in South America with a world ranking of 194
- In Africa, the highest-ranking university is the Stellenbosch University ranking at position 414 in the world.
The average H-index for the top 10 universities is 4347 against an average of 405 for all 647 universities included in the ranking.
The average number of articles indexed in DBLP for the top 10 universities in the ranking is 13,543 against an average of 1,542 for all 647 universities.
The average number of citations for top 10 universities is 1,873,164 against an average of 135,969 for all 647 universities.
You can learn more about the methodology used to create the ranking here.
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About Research.com
All research was coordinated by Imed Bouchrika, Ph.D., a computer scientist with a well-established record of collaboration on a number of international research projects with different partners from the academic community. His role was to make sure all data remained unbiased, accurate, and up-to-date.
Research.com is the number one research portal for science and educational rankings. Our mission is to make it easier for professors, research fellows, and students to progress with their research and find the top experts in a wide range of scientific disciplines. Research.com is also a leading educational platform that helps students find the best colleges, academic opportunities, and career paths.
