Times Higher Education World Top 200 Universities

California Institute of TechnologyUS universities occupy the top 3 positions, with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) top the list. Harvard University is in second place and the University of Stanford in third.

Oxford University, ranked fourth, and the University of Cambridge was ranked sixth.

As in previous years, a large part of the final list are U.S. universities (75), but the UK put in an impressive performance with 32 make the grade.

Canada, Germany and the Netherlands also had several institutions in the top 200.

The Times Higher Education, said the data showed "a widening gap in the United Kingdom between a super-elite and the rest of the leading institutions in Britain."

He also warned that unless Britain experienced a growth in the state of university funding, the United Kingdom may be unable to maintain its international reputation is at stake in education.

Speaking to The Guardian Mroz, Ann, editor, said: "Given the disparity in funding levels [between the UK and U.S.] our development is nothing short of amazing. In short, they spend much less in our universities that many of our competitors - less than the OECD average - and yet almost all exceed them. "