分析方式
研究方法
本頁說明學校排名及大學分級方式，並清楚交代當中的判斷準則，而非將其隱藏在程式之中。
1. 三個類別，不再是單一名單
並非每所學校公布的資料性質相同，本站不再假裝它們一樣。學校分為三個類別，只有第一類納入排名：
1・已排名
公布每間大學的真實入讀人數——不只是校名，而是實際入讀的學生數目。這些學校互相排名比較。
2・有升學去向，未公布人數
公布真實已確認的大學升學去向——畢業生實際入讀的大學——但從未公布每間大學的入讀人數。獨立列出，不設排名。
3・只有取錄資料
公布的是取錄大學，並非實際入讀的大學。學生可同時獲多間取錄，但只會入讀一所。獨立列出，不設排名。
此方法較早前的版本有所改變。舊版本將所有學校（包括只公布名稱的學校）一併排名，每所不同大學只計算一次，不論入讀人數。此做法無法分辨一名學生入讀與三十名學生入讀的大學；亦令部分學校即使公布了真實入讀人數，這些數字也未被善用。新方法只將能夠按實際入讀人數加權計算的學校納入排名，並清楚交代哪些學校因此被剔除，以及原因。
2. 第一類如何排名
第一類學校公布的每所大學均按升學結果分為第一至第五級。與單純列出名單不同，每所大學對學校評分的貢獻，會按實際入讀該校的學生人數加權計算——三十名學生入讀的大學，貢獻是只有一名學生入讀的大學的三十倍。排名依據是學校實際入讀學生中，屬第一級或第二級大學的合計比例——第一級為八所常春藤盟校、MIT、加州理工、史丹福及牛津劍橋，第二級為下文定義的次一級頂尖院校。對大部分學校而言，單獨計算第一級的數字偏小、波動亦大——往往只涉及少數牛津劍橋或常春藤盟校的學生——因此與第二級合計，能更完整、更穩定地反映學校整體的頂尖大學升學表現。
3. 報告期調整
公布 N 年入讀資料的學校有 N 次機會令學生入讀罕見的第一或第二級大學，因此原始數目會受報告期長短影響，不能只反映大學的選擇性。在數字已按人數加權計算後，這一點更為重要：公布 7 年累積入讀資料的學校，即使每年的入學競爭力相同，原始第一級人數自然會比只公布 1 年的學校為高。
我們的調整：計算比例前，先將各校按實際入讀人數加權後的第一及第二級數目，除以報告涵蓋年數（線性調整，÷N）。第三至第五級數目維持不變，因為這些去向較常見，不會同樣受「任何一次命中都計算」的情況影響。
- 這是刻意採取的較強調整方式，因此第一級大學原始人數較少的一年期學校，排名可能高於原始人數較多的多年期學校。
- 第一類學校的報告期差異甚大——大部分為 1 至 5 年，其中一所長達 7 年。查看各校頁面上的「報告年數」數字，以配合排名一併判讀。
這是網站採用的唯一排名方式；排名頁面上的每所學校均以相同方法評分。
4. 五級評級
分級綜合考慮全球聲譽及入學選擇性，第一級最難入讀。第一及第二級依據公開的外部排名而非個人意見，包括《U.S. News》美國最佳全國大學排名及《The Times／Sunday Times》英國優秀大學指南。
| 級別 | 定義 | 代表大學 |
|---|---|---|
| 第一級 | 8 所常春藤盟校 + MIT + 加州理工 + 史丹福 + 牛津 + 劍橋 | Harvard、Yale、Princeton、MIT、Stanford、Oxford、Cambridge… |
| 第二級 | US News 首 27 位（第一級除外）+ Sunday Times 英國首 10 位（牛津劍橋除外）+ 頂尖國際大學 + 美國文理學院首 7 位 | Duke、Johns Hopkins、UCLA、Berkeley、LSE、Imperial、UCL、Bath、Tsinghua、NUS、Williams、Amherst… |
| 第三級 | 未列入第二級排名的非常優秀大學 | NYU、Georgia Tech、UCSD、King's College London、Edinburgh、HKU、Middlebury、Barnard… |
| 第四級 | 優秀／穩健 | Boston College、Boston University、Northeastern、英國紅磚大學、UBC、HKUST、CUHK… |
| 第五級 | 其他／相對較易入讀／專門院校 | 社區學院、加州州立大學、地區大學、藝術及設計院校… |
第一級 完整名單 — 13 所大學
| Brown University |
| Columbia University |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Cornell University |
| Dartmouth College |
| Harvard University |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Princeton University |
| Stanford University |
| University of Cambridge |
| University of Oxford |
| University of Pennsylvania |
| Yale University |
第二級 完整名單 — 40 所大學
| Amherst College |
| Bowdoin College |
| Carleton College |
| Carnegie Mellon University |
| Duke University |
| Durham University |
| ETH Zürich |
| Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne |
| Emory University |
| Georgetown University |
| Imperial College London |
| Johns Hopkins University |
| London School of Economics and Political Science |
| Loughborough University |
| National University of Singapore |
| Northwestern University |
| Peking University |
| Pomona College |
| Rice University |
| Swarthmore College |
| Tsinghua University |
| UCL (University College London) |
| University College London |
| University of Bath |
| University of California, Berkeley |
| University of California, Los Angeles |
| University of Chicago |
| University of Michigan |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| University of Notre Dame |
| University of Southern California |
| University of St Andrews |
| University of Virginia |
| University of Warwick |
| Vanderbilt University |
| Washington University in St Louis |
| Wellesley College |
| Williams College |
| École polytechnique (Palaiseau) |
第三級 完整名單 — 53 所大學
| ArtCenter College of Design |
| Australian National University |
| Barnard College |
| Bocconi University |
| Bryn Mawr College |
| Claremont McKenna College |
| Colgate University |
| Cooper Union |
| Deep Springs College |
| Delft University of Technology |
| EHL (École Hôtelière de Lausanne) |
| ESCP Business School |
| ESSEC Business School |
| Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Grinnell College |
| Hamilton College |
| Harvey Mudd College |
| King's College London |
| Koc University |
| Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) |
| Leiden University |
| McGill University |
| Middlebury College |
| Nanyang Technological University |
| New York University |
| Osaka University |
| Rhode Island School of Design |
| Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland |
| Sciences Po |
| Seoul National University |
| Smith College |
| TU Eindhoven |
| Technical University of Munich |
| Trinity College Dublin |
| Tufts University |
| University of Auckland |
| University of Bristol |
| University of California, San Diego |
| University of Edinburgh |
| University of Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| University of Manchester |
| University of Melbourne |
| University of Nottingham |
| University of Otago |
| University of St. Gallen |
| University of Sydney |
| University of Toronto |
| University of Waterloo |
| Utrecht University |
| Vassar College |
| World Bachelor in Business (USC/Bocconi/HKUST) |
| Yonsei University |
第四級 完整名單 — 202 所大學
| Adelaide University |
| Architectural Association |
| Auckland University of Technology |
| Babson College |
| Bates College |
| Baylor University |
| Berklee College of Music |
| Boston College |
| Boston University |
| Brandeis University |
| Brunel University London |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
| Cardiff University |
| Carleton University |
| Case Western Reserve University |
| Case Western University |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| City St George's, University of London |
| City University of Hong Kong |
| City, University of London |
| Clark University |
| Clemson University |
| Colby College |
| Colorado College |
| Colorado State University |
| Concordia University |
| Coventry University |
| Curtin University |
| Dalhousie University |
| Deakin University |
| Denison University |
| Drexel University |
| EDHEC Business School |
| Education University of Hong Kong |
| Emerson College |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| Esade Ramon Lull University |
| Florida International University |
| Fordham University |
| George Washington University |
| Glasgow School of Art |
| Goldsmiths, University of London |
| Gonzaga University |
| Griffith University |
| Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki |
| Hanyang University |
| Harper and Keele Veterinary School |
| Haverford College |
| Heriot-Watt University |
| Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
| IE University |
| Indiana University |
| Indiana University-Bloomington |
| Keio University |
| Kyung Hee University |
| Lancaster University |
| Lehigh University |
| Leipzig University |
| Lewis & Clark College |
| Lingnan University |
| Loyola Marymount University |
| Lund University |
| Maastricht University |
| Macalester College |
| Macquarie University |
| Manchester School of Architecture |
| McMaster University |
| Michigan State University |
| Minerva University |
| Monash University |
| Mount Holyoke College |
| Newcastle University |
| North Carolina State University |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh |
| Northeastern University |
| Northumbria University |
| Nottingham Trent University |
| Occidental College |
| Ohio State University |
| Ohio Wesleyan University |
| Otis College of Art and Design |
| Parsons School of Design |
| Pennsylvania State University |
| Pennsylvania State University, University Park |
| Pepperdine University |
| Pratt Institute |
| Purdue University |
| Queen Mary University of London |
| Queen's University |
| Queen's University of Belfast |
| Queensland University of Technology |
| RMIT University |
| Radboud University |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Rhode Island School of Design |
| Royal Academy of Music |
| Royal College of Music |
| Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
| Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| Royal Veterinary College |
| Royal Veterinary College, University of London |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick |
| SOAS University of London |
| Santa Clara University |
| Sarah Lawrence College |
| Savannah College of Art and Design |
| School of Visual Arts |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Scripps College |
| Seattle University |
| Simon Fraser University |
| Singapore Institute of Technology |
| Singapore Management University |
| Skidmore College |
| Sophia University |
| St George's University of London |
| St Olaf College |
| Stevens Institute of Technology |
| Stony Brook University |
| Sungkyunkwan University |
| Swansea University |
| Syracuse University |
| Texas A & M University |
| The New School (Parsons) |
| The New School, Parsons School for Design |
| Tilburg University |
| Trinity College |
| Trinity University |
| UWE Bristol |
| United States Naval Academy |
| University College Cork |
| University College Dublin |
| University College Maastricht |
| University College Utrecht |
| University of Aberdeen |
| University of Adelaide |
| University of Alberta |
| University of Amsterdam |
| University of Birmingham |
| University of British Columbia |
| University of Calgary |
| University of California, Davis |
| University of California, Irvine |
| University of California, Santa Barbara |
| University of California, Santa Cruz |
| University of Canterbury |
| University of Colorado Boulder |
| University of Connecticut |
| University of Delaware |
| University of Exeter |
| University of Florida |
| University of Galway |
| University of Glasgow |
| University of Groningen |
| University of Guelph |
| University of Iowa |
| University of Leeds |
| University of Leicester |
| University of Liverpool |
| University of Maryland |
| University of Maryland-College Park |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities |
| University of New South Wales |
| University of Newcastle |
| University of Nottingham |
| University of Oregon |
| University of Ottawa |
| University of Pittsburgh |
| University of Queensland |
| University of Reading |
| University of Rochester |
| University of San Diego |
| University of Sheffield |
| University of Southampton |
| University of Strathclyde |
| University of Surrey |
| University of Sussex |
| University of Technology Sydney |
| University of Tsukuba |
| University of Twente |
| University of Waikato |
| University of Warsaw |
| University of Washington |
| University of Washington-Seattle |
| University of Western Australia |
| University of Westminster |
| University of Wisconsin |
| University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| University of Wollongong |
| University of York |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
| Waseda University |
| Wesleyan University |
| Western University |
| Wheaton College |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| York University |
第五級 完整名單 — 250 所大學
| Aberystwyth University |
| American University |
| American University in Dubai |
| Amsterdam Fashion Academy |
| Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences |
| Andrews University |
| Arizona State University |
| Arts University Bournemouth |
| Asia Pacific University |
| Aston University |
| Augustana University |
| Australian Film Television and Radio School |
| BIMM University |
| Bangor University |
| Bath Spa University |
| Biola University |
| Birkbeck, University of London |
| Birmingham City University |
| Bishop's University |
| Bournemouth University |
| Brandon University |
| Brigham Young University |
| British Columbia Institute of Technology |
| Brunel University London |
| Bryant University |
| California Baptist University |
| California College of the Arts |
| California Lutheran University |
| California State - Long Beach |
| California State - Pomona |
| California State University, Fullerton |
| California State University-Fresno |
| California State University-Los Angeles |
| California State University-Northridge |
| Calvin University |
| Canterbury Christ Church University |
| Capilano University |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Carson Newman University |
| Central Film School |
| Central Washington University |
| Cesar Ritz Colleges |
| Chapman University |
| Coventry University |
| Curry College |
| De Anza College |
| De Montfort University |
| Durham University International Study Centre |
| EHL Hospitality Business & Hotel Management School (École Hôtelière de Lausanne) |
| EU Business School |
| Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne |
| Edge Hill University |
| Edinburgh Napier University |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University |
| Emily Carr University of Art and Design |
| European School of Economics |
| Falmouth University |
| Fontys University of Applied Sciences |
| Frankfurt Business School |
| Franklin University Switzerland |
| Fraser International College |
| Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Grand Canyon University |
| HKU Space |
| HKU Space Community College |
| HKU Space International College |
| HKU Space Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Community College |
| HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht |
| HZ University of Applied Sciences |
| Hang Seng University of Hong Kong |
| Harper Adams University |
| Hartpury University |
| High Point University |
| Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts |
| Hong Kong Baptist University |
| Hong Kong Baptist University - College of International Education |
| Hong Kong Metropolitan University |
| Hong Kong Shue Yan University |
| Hotelschool The Hague |
| Hult International Business School |
| Huntington University |
| Huron at Western University |
| James Madison University |
| Keele University |
| Keiser University |
| Kent State University |
| Kingston University |
| L3 Harris Academy |
| LASALLE College of the Arts |
| Lancaster University Leipzig |
| Langara College |
| Leeds Arts University |
| Leeds Beckett University |
| Leeds Conservatoire |
| Leiden University College The Hague |
| Les Roches - Spain Campus |
| Les Roches International School of Hotel Management |
| Life University |
| Liverpool Hope University |
| Liverpool John Moores University |
| London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art |
| London Film Academy |
| London Metropolitan University |
| London South Bank University |
| Louisiana State University |
| Loyola University Chicago |
| Luxury Hotelschool Paris |
| Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design |
| McNeese State University |
| Meredith College |
| MetFilm |
| Middle Georgia State University |
| Middlesex University |
| Middlesex University Dubai |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead |
| Monash College |
| Montana State University |
| Montclair State University |
| Mount Royal University |
| NSCAD University |
| Nagoya University of Commerce and Business |
| National University of Distance Education (UNED) |
| Northeastern University (London Campus) |
| Norwich University of the Arts |
| Nottingham Trent International College |
| OCAD University |
| Orange Coast College |
| Oregon State University |
| Oxford Brookes University |
| Pace University |
| Pasadena City College |
| Polimoda |
| Queen Margaret University |
| Queen Mary University of London (Malta) |
| Queenstown Resort College |
| Quinnipiac University |
| Ravensbourne University London |
| Regent's University London |
| Ringling College of Art and Design |
| Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University |
| Ritsumeikan University |
| Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences |
| Saint George Hospital University Medical Center |
| Saint Mary's University |
| San Diego State University |
| San Francisco Art Institute |
| San Francisco State University |
| San Jose State University |
| San Mateo Community College |
| Sancta Sophia College |
| Santa Monica College |
| Sault University |
| Saxion University of Applied Science |
| School of Continuing and Professional Studies |
| Seattle Pacific University |
| Sheffield Hallam University |
| Sheridan College |
| Siena College |
| St Mary's University, Twickenham |
| St. George's University |
| Staffordshire University |
| Suffolk University |
| Sungshin Women's University |
| Susquehanna University |
| Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) |
| Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong |
| Teesside University, Middlesbrough |
| Temple College |
| Temple University |
| The American University of Paris |
| The Engineering & Design Institute, London |
| The Hague University of Applied Sciences |
| The New School |
| Toronto Metropolitan University |
| Trent University |
| Tung Wah College |
| UC San Diego Health System |
| UOW College Hong Kong |
| Ulster University |
| University Academy 92 |
| University for the Creative Arts |
| University of Aizu |
| University of Alabama |
| University of Arizona |
| University of Bradford |
| University of Bremen |
| University of Brighton |
| University of Buckingham |
| University of California, Merced |
| University of California, Riverside |
| University of Canberra |
| University of Central Lancashire |
| University of Chichester |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
| University of Dayton |
| University of Derby |
| University of Dundee |
| University of East Anglia |
| University of Essex |
| University of Gloucestershire |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| University of Hertfordshire |
| University of Huddersfield |
| University of Hull |
| University of International Business |
| University of Kent |
| University of Kentucky |
| University of La Verne |
| University of London |
| University of New Haven |
| University of Nicosia |
| University of North Texas |
| University of Nottingham Ningbo China |
| University of Plymouth |
| University of Portsmouth |
| University of Richmond |
| University of Roehampton |
| University of Roehampton London |
| University of Salford |
| University of San Francisco |
| University of South Dakota |
| University of South Wales |
| University of Stirling |
| University of Suffolk |
| University of Texas - El Paso |
| University of Victoria |
| University of Wales Trinity Saint David |
| University of Westminster |
| University of Winchester |
| University of Windsor |
| University of Worcester |
| University of the Arts London |
| University of the Pacific |
| University of the West of England |
| Utah State University |
| VTC Hong Kong Design Institute |
| Vatel Switzerland - Ecole Hoteliere du Valais |
| Vocational Training Council |
| Washburn University |
| Webster University Geneva |
| Western Michigan University |
| Wilfrid Laurier University |
| Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University |
| Yamanashi Gakuin University |
| Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education |
| York College of Pennsylvania |
| York St John University |
| ZUYD University of Applied Sciences |
| École de l'image Gobelins |
值得留意的結果
- Bath 和 Loughborough純粹因 Sunday Times 將其列入首十位（著重教學質素及學生滿意度）而屬第二級，位置遠高於全球研究型排名。
- 相反，King's College London、Edinburgh、Manchester 和 Bristol 屬第三級；雖然全球聲譽良好，但並未進入 Sunday Times 首十位。這是採用該指南後預期出現的結果。
- 排名每年均會變動。第二級名單以特定版本為準（U.S. News 2025／Sunday Times 2025）。
5. 資料處理規則
按實際入讀人數加權
只適用於第一類。每所大學對學校級別比例的貢獻，按學校公布的真實入讀人數加權計算，並非不論人數只計算一次。
報告期調整
計算比例前，加權後的第一及第二級數目會除以公開名單涵蓋的年數（五年名單 ÷5，一年名單 ÷1）。詳見上文的報告期調整。
取錄與已確認入讀
如來源有加以區分，只採用已確認入讀／註冊人數，不採用取錄數字。
只公布取錄的學校不納入排名
如學校只公布取錄名單，且無法分辨實際入讀者，便不符合排名資格。取錄數字可能被誇大，因為一名學生可同時持有多個取錄而最終只入讀一所大學；因此這些學校不會以灰色顯示，而是獨立列出，詳見上文第三類。
只公布院校名稱不設排名
只公布大學名稱而沒有逐校入讀人數的學校，無法按實際入讀人數加權計算，因此不會與第一類學校一併排名——會獨立列為第二類，並仍會顯示其級別比例（每所大學只計算一次，這是沒有真實人數下唯一可行的方法）。
牛津及劍橋學院
如來源分別列出牛津或劍橋的個別學院，數字會合併至大學層級。
資料依據
每項數字均可追溯至學校正式發布的報告；各校頁面列出確切來源文件。