Shanghai 2025 ranking: France defends its 11th place in the world – the Student

The 23rd edition of the classification of world universities at the University of Jiao-Tong has emerged. The publication of 2025 leaves little room for surprise with the supremacy of American institutionsthe push of Chinese universities and stable French establishments.

French universities in the top 1000 thus remain to maintain their position but Those at the top of the ranking tended to lose a few places this year. Good surprise nevertheless with the entry of two universities of our country into the famous record.

Last year, Paris-Saclay University had created the surprise by reaching the record place of 12th. The establishment – which remains the first in France and the third on the European continent – fall in a place this year, in 13th place

Paris-Saclay University can count on five Nobel prizes among its scientistsincluding that of Alain aspect, Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 and Eleven Fields medals among which Hugo Duminil-Copin, Fields 2022 medal, as well as 24 among the most cited in their discipline.

The second and third French universities follow the trend: PSL University (34th) fall in a place and Sorbonne University (43rd) loses two places.

The rest of the French ranking has a certain stability. Only three universities (the Paris Polytechnic Institute, the Burgundy Europe University and the University of Poitiers) display a better rank than last year.

Et As in 2023, France found 27 establishments in the top 1000, The University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and the University of Picardie Jules Verne joining the ranking this year.

The right scores of a handful of French universities are directly following the Grouping strategy of different universities and establishments in the early 2020s. “It had a very important effect, France quickly went up in the ranking”Hugo Harari-Kermadec, professor at the University of Orleans and specialist in neoliberal transformations of higher education and research. But since then, the scores have been stable.

Paris Saclay is an evocative example. From the year of its creation, this French university has been propelled into the top 20.

“In France, the Shanghai ranking is very commented and it counts a lot to be in international competition”underlines the expert. In addition to mergers, Investment programs such as Excellence Initiatives (IDEX) make it possible to support establishments who have a coherent project to be competitive internationally.

Yet, its relevance as an indicator of the quality of research conducted in the establishment is questionable – The Ministry of Higher Education also admits “methodological gaps”. We must keep in mind, for example, that the research disciplines considered there are not all the same importance. The human and social sciences, in particular, are marginally taken into account. We therefore speak of a classification of research in hard sciences.

The initial objective of the classification was even compare universities to those North American Ivy League, where many award -winning scientists work and whose researchers publish in high impact journals. The methodology itself is therefore oriented towards this comparative objective.

Or, Wanting to compete with establishments such as Harvard or Stanford requires colossal investments. It is indeed a question of claiming to be able to accommodate renowned researchers and researchers – the winners or potential winners of prestigious prices – or to have the research equipment necessary to conduct projects in advanced disciplines such as artificial intelligence, biotechnologies or physics.

So« Risk is an indirect orientation towards a neoliberal system where universities must find fundingand where we have to think that the right way to finance establishments is not by taxes ”Met en garde hugo hariri-kermadec.

The system valued by the Shanghai ranking questions while The financial situation of French universities is very tense. University presidents have alerted again On the difficulties to come for the start of the 2025 school year and the lack of visibility on the financial resources they cruelly need.

A situation that again hovering for the temptation to increase registration fees for certain students (especially foreign) or the hope of counting on generous donors among former students to find new resources.

“What is lasting and decisive for thea scientific performance These are important public investments in research. Some southern countries such as China, Turkey or Taiwan, have understood this », he continues. As proof, in China the first university – that of Tsinghua – succeeds in its best ranking this year, arriving at the 18th place.

Yes lIn China is, for once, the first country in number of establishments in the top 1000, the United States nevertheless continues to dominate the top of the rankingwith each year the same head trio – the universities of Harvard, Stanford and the Massachusetts technology institute.

“These universities do not take into account the classification. Especially at this time when They have many other concerns in a context where the United States government implements policies against foreign students and certain disciplines ”, pose l’expert.