US and British universities are still the most prestigious. - US and British universities still dominate the “QS World University Rankings”, the annual ranking list of the 800 best universities and higher education establishments in the world. In the Top 10, six of them are from the US and the other four from the United Kingdom. Just like last year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) is in first place, followed by Harvard University (USA). Four British universities follow: University of Cambridge (3rd, University College London (4th), Imperial College London (5th) and the University of Oxford (6th). An expert responsible for the listing sys that Europe has managed to improve its performance, with many European countries having taken a number of measures to improve the international standard of their universities, such as the excellence initiatives in France and Germany. In total, 21 universities from mainland Europe are in the Top 100. There is a cost, however, to studying at the most prestigious universities: the education fees for the “Top 10” have increased to around $34,000, almost the double of the average cost of $18,500 in 2007. The “QS World University Rankings” is published every year and provides a reference for students, universities and governments around the world. It takes into account four major criteria for classifying the higher education establishments: research, teaching, employability and internationalisation. (IL/transl.fl)