Browse the full Young University Rankings 2017 results
Universities that were established between 1967 and 1985 have the most success in general in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings, according to an analysis of the 2017 results.
Overall, 104 “Generation X” universities feature in the ranking of the top 200 universities that are aged 50 years or under. When looking at the leading institutions in this cohort (see top-50 list below), their average rank is 41st – a higher average rank than that achieved by the top “Generation Y” (1986-1999) and “Millennial” (2000-present) universities, suggesting that there is a correlation between age and overall performance.
The Generation X list is topped by Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, which is number one in the overall Young University Ranking.
In addition, half the universities in the overall top 10 were established between 1967 and 1985.
Australia and Germany have the most Generation X institutions in the table, with seven representatives each.
Meanwhile, eight Asian universities founded in this period feature, led by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) (fifth overall) and City University of Hong Kong (seventh overall).
The Generation X group has the highest median score for citation impact in the ranking, when compared with the Generation Y and Millennial groups, as well the cohort of institutions founded in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
However, the Generation X group is the worst performer when it comes to proportions of international staff and students.
Top 50 Generation X universities
Generation X Rank |
2017 Young University Rank |
2016 Young University Rank |
World University Rank 2016-17 |
Institution |
Country |
Year founded |
Teaching |
Research |
Citations |
Industry income |
International outlook |
Overall score |
1 |
1 |
1 |
=30 |
Switzerland |
1969 |
65.2 |
67.4 |
96.5 |
69.8 |
98.6 |
77.9 |
|
2 |
5 |
6 |
=89 |
South Korea |
1971 |
64.3 |
64.1 |
78.5 |
100.0 |
34.3 |
67.2 |
|
3 |
6 |
4 |
94 |
Netherlands |
1976 |
43.7 |
64.6 |
84.4 |
85.7 |
96.0 |
67.1 |
|
4 |
7 |
20 |
119 |
Hong Kong |
1984 |
50.5 |
59.3 |
81.6 |
66.4 |
83.5 |
65.4 |
|
5 |
8 |
13 |
=135 |
Germany |
1967 |
49.4 |
54.2 |
91.0 |
84.0 |
56.9 |
64.7 |
|
6 |
12 |
9 |
=121 |
France |
1971 |
57.3 |
31.0 |
86.2 |
38.2 |
71.4 |
58.6 |
|
7 |
16 |
16 |
=180 |
United Kingdom |
1967 |
32.0 |
42.3 |
92.3 |
43.8 |
79.1 |
57.0 |
|
8 |
18 |
12 |
163 |
Spain |
1968 |
43.1 |
42.0 |
86.7 |
39.9 |
52.3 |
56.5 |
|
9 |
19 |
=18 |
179 |
France |
1971 |
47.7 |
36.3 |
83.2 |
32.5 |
64.0 |
55.8 |
|
10 |
21 |
24 |
201-250 |
United States |
1969 |
33.2 |
43.1 |
90.4 |
43.3 |
53.1 |
55.1 |
|
11 |
22 |
23 |
251-300 |
Germany |
1969 |
46.8 |
60.3 |
55.6 |
59.3 |
46.2 |
53.8 |
|
12 |
23 |
=31 |
201-250 |
Denmark |
1974 |
28.5 |
48.0 |
80.1 |
44.8 |
71.7 |
53.5 |
|
13 |
25 |
45 |
201-250 |
Saudi Arabia |
1967 |
34.2 |
17.7 |
93.3 |
66.0 |
92.1 |
52.1 |
|
14 |
28 |
=28 |
201-250 |
France |
1971 |
28.4 |
42.7 |
84.6 |
38.6 |
51.7 |
51.6 |
|
15 |
29 |
35 |
251-300 |
Bayreuth University |
Germany |
1975 |
41.6 |
44.6 |
66.3 |
63.5 |
53.8 |
51.4 |
16 |
30 |
37 |
251-300 |
Australia |
1975 |
35.9 |
45.0 |
64.1 |
49.2 |
87.0 |
51.3 |
|
17 |
31 |
25 |
201-250 |
France |
1970 |
32.5 |
26.7 |
91.8 |
32.9 |
65.7 |
51.1 |
|
18 |
33 |
22 |
251-300 |
United States |
1972 |
50.7 |
19.7 |
89.8 |
44.0 |
22.3 |
50.8 |
|
19 |
35 |
48 |
251-300 |
Australia |
1971 |
27.5 |
39.3 |
74.8 |
41.3 |
82.3 |
49.7 |
|
20 |
=36 |
26 |
251-300 |
Sweden |
1977 |
38.6 |
28.9 |
77.7 |
98.9 |
46.8 |
49.5 |
|
21 |
38 |
38 |
251-300 |
Australia |
1970 |
27.3 |
30.2 |
84.2 |
43.2 |
74.1 |
49.2 |
|
22 |
41 |
49 |
301-350 |
Germany |
1971 |
45.0 |
37.9 |
61.7 |
47.0 |
50.4 |
48.4 |
|
23 |
43 |
50 |
251-300 |
Australia |
1974 |
28.5 |
34.6 |
75.5 |
34.1 |
76.8 |
48.2 |
|
24 |
45 |
39 |
301-350 |
Technical University of Dortmund |
Germany |
1968 |
45.5 |
42.6 |
57.1 |
48.7 |
41.5 |
47.9 |
25 |
46 |
54 |
301-350 |
United Kingdom |
1967 |
28.4 |
35.4 |
69.6 |
33.7 |
75.1 |
46.5 |
|
26 |
=47 |
=59 |
301-350 |
United States |
1972 |
34.4 |
33.2 |
73.4 |
33.4 |
38.7 |
46.0 |
|
27 |
51 |
– |
351-400 |
Italy |
1972 |
19.3 |
38.0 |
84.2 |
33.4 |
31.1 |
45.6 |
|
28 |
54 |
=63 |
351-400 |
Finland |
1969 |
31.5 |
29.0 |
74.5 |
35.6 |
48.0 |
45.0 |
|
29 |
=56 |
58 |
351-400 |
Australia |
1967 |
33.6 |
42.4 |
49.0 |
45.5 |
78.7 |
44.6 |
|
30 |
58 |
=66 |
301-350 |
Greece |
1973 |
23.2 |
26.9 |
83.0 |
37.8 |
46.9 |
44.4 |
|
31 |
59 |
=43 |
401-500 |
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) |
Taiwan |
1974 |
37.5 |
57.8 |
38.5 |
70.1 |
32.3 |
44.3 |
32 |
60 |
47 |
301-350 |
Sweden |
1975 |
29.9 |
18.8 |
79.6 |
41.7 |
62.1 |
44.2 |
|
33 |
62 |
=69 |
351-400 |
Germany |
1970 |
45.1 |
33.5 |
50.3 |
69.3 |
46.3 |
43.9 |
|
34 |
64 |
– |
351-400 |
Japan |
1981 |
29.4 |
25.0 |
78.6 |
59.0 |
24.1 |
43.2 |
|
35 |
66 |
71 |
351-400 |
Spain |
1968 |
36.1 |
33.5 |
57.4 |
35.8 |
51.6 |
42.9 |
|
36 |
67 |
=88 |
351-400 |
Macao |
1981 |
27.9 |
32.1 |
53.3 |
46.3 |
98.8 |
42.5 |
|
=37 |
=68 |
82 |
401-500 |
Australia |
1973 |
23.2 |
34.1 |
57.3 |
42.8 |
90.7 |
42.3 |
|
=37 |
=68 |
– |
401-500 |
Germany |
1972 |
29.3 |
35.1 |
60.8 |
40.7 |
50.1 |
42.3 |
|
=37 |
=68 |
=77 |
351-400 |
University of Texas at San Antonio |
United States |
1969 |
22.0 |
23.2 |
85.0 |
32.4 |
32.6 |
42.3 |
40 |
71 |
– |
351-400 |
Italy |
1968 |
23.8 |
19.0 |
86.7 |
39.2 |
30.8 |
42.1 |
|
41 |
73 |
– |
401-500 |
Belgium |
1973 |
28.8 |
31.0 |
61.6 |
49.7 |
55.2 |
41.8 |
|
42 |
=76 |
76 |
351-400 |
Turkey |
1984 |
27.7 |
25.4 |
68.3 |
39.7 |
51.9 |
41.3 |
|
43 |
=79 |
75 |
401-500 |
Japan |
1973 |
47.5 |
41.7 |
35.1 |
42.4 |
37.1 |
41.1 |
|
=44 |
=81 |
=83 |
401-500 |
Portugal |
1973 |
39.8 |
37.3 |
44.5 |
41.5 |
46.5 |
41.0 |
|
=44 |
=81 |
=66 |
401-500 |
Italy |
1982 |
30.6 |
19.0 |
73.4 |
42.1 |
40.9 |
41.0 |
|
46 |
85 |
90 |
351-400 |
France |
1971 |
25.7 |
21.2 |
73.1 |
37.6 |
47.8 |
40.5 |
|
47 |
86 |
73 |
401-500 |
Norway |
1968 |
27.9 |
22.0 |
64.3 |
36.9 |
67.3 |
40.2 |
|
48 |
89 |
– |
401-500 |
United States |
1972 |
32.9 |
28.7 |
57.7 |
35.2 |
35.3 |
39.3 |
|
49 |
90 |
101-150 |
401-500 |
Australia |
1971 |
25.1 |
14.2 |
73.7 |
35.1 |
59.4 |
39.2 |
|
=50 |
=92 |
=69 |
351-400 |
Paris-Sorbonne University – Paris 4 |
France |
1971 |
48.7 |
36.8 |
27.9 |
32.2 |
54.2 |
38.9 |
=50 |
=92 |
81 |
401-500 |
Italy |
1982 |
32.4 |
20.3 |
64.2 |
38.9 |
37.9 |
38.9 |
Note: ‘Generation X’ institutions are those founded between 1967 and 1985.