Notes on the declining American institutions in university rankings: a trend against the Germany–Britain–America shift?

Abstract

Previous research has outlined the ongoing decline of British universities, just as the decline of German universities before it. By revisiting the performances of the ‘top’ universities worldwide in multiple rankings and grading systems, this study outlines an ongoing decline of American universities in university rankings. The falls of the USA’s public universities are especially notable. Normally, scholars believe the shift of the world’s scientific center is from the European continent to Britain, and then to America. However, the performance of universities worldwide in recent decades just showcases a different picture, in which American universities are declining at a faster speed than those in Britain and the European continent.