These are the world's best universities

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the best university in the world for the eighth year running, according to research firm QS.

MIT leads the World University Rankings with a maximum score of 100, on the basis of a range of factors including academic reputation and performance of faculty and students.

The Boston-based university has long been recognised for its prowess in science, engineering and technology.

The rankings have changed very little year-on-year, with only a minor shuffling among the hierarchy in recent years. Stanford University came in second place, with a total score of 99.8, the survey showed.

The top tier continues to be dominated by Western institutions, particularly from the US and UK. ETH Zurich is the only university in the top 10 not from those two countries.

Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore sit just outside the top 10. Asian players are increasingly featuring in academic rankings, as countries make more funding available for education.