Moscow State University (MSU) took the top spot among Russian institutions of higher learning, ranking 108 worldwide.
Saint Petersburg State University dropped two notches, taking 258 place, while Novosibirsk State University entered the top 300 for the first time, ranking 317.
Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Tomsk State University, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute and Moscow's Higher School of Economics were all ranked among Russia's top ten universities.
Americans take leading positions
The first three positions in the QS list were held by American universities: University of Massachusetts, Stanford University and Harvard University.
Cambridge (England) and the California Institute of Technology rounded out the top five.
QS rating list
Compilers noted that this year, universities in developing countries (the Middle East, South America and Africa) made the biggest leap.
The rankings take into account several factors: the university’s credibility in terms of the research it produces, the ratio of faculty members to the number of students, the university's reputation among employees, a citation index of scientific publications, and its share of foreign students and foreign teachers.
