American varsities dominate in QS global top 10 institutions

Universities in the United States dominate in this year's Global top 10 institutions by QS World University rankings.

Meanwhile, Cambridge University and Imperial College ranked joint  second, with Oxford and UCL claiming joint fifth place in QS rankings. Improvements in research have seen Cambridge University and Imperial College London surpass Harvard University. Harvard dropped from second to fourth overall.

The top 10 had excellent academic reputations, graduate recruitment, staff-student ratios and international reach for faculty and students.

"Tech-focused institutions are increasingly the focal point of a global race for innovation. With budgets from public sources increasingly coming under strain, institutions seem more focused than ever on potentially lucrative research in science, technology, and medicine," said Ben Sowter, QS heard of research.

“In the wake of the recession, both governments and private sector funding sources are placing greater emphasis on high-impact STEM research, much of which takes place in specialist institutions."