43.New York University (NYU):USA

New York University (NYU)

http://www.nyu.edu/

One hundred and seventy five years ago, Albert Gallatin, the distinguished statesman who served as secretary of the treasury under President Thomas Jefferson, declared his intention to establish “in this immense and fast-growing city … a system of rational and practical education fitting for all and graciously open to all.”
At that time, 1831, most students in American colleges and universities were members of the privileged classes. Albert Gallatin and the University’s founding fathers planned NYU as a center of higher learning that would be open to all, regardless of national origin, religious beliefs, or social background.
While the University’s commitment to these ideals remains unchanged, in many ways Albert Gallatin would scarcely recognize NYU today. From a student body of 158, enrollment has grown to nearly 40,000 students attending 14 schools and colleges at six different locations in Manhattan and in over 20 study-abroad countries around the world. Students come from many foreign countries. The faculty, which initially consisted of 14 professors and lecturers (among them artist and inventor Samuel F. B. Morse), now totals over 3,100 full-time members.
University Seal
The seal is composed of five emblems that embrace the goals and traditions of NYU. These include the NYU name and founding year. The motto perstare et praestare, to persevere and to excel, underscores the depiction of classic runners and, when combined, they represent the continued pursuit of academic excellence. Finally, there is the upheld torch of the Lady of the Harbor, which signifies NYU in service to the “metropolis” — New York City.

42.Northwestern University:USA

Northwestern University

http://www.northwestern.edu/

Northwestern is a major private research university with 12 academic divisions located on two lakefront campuses in Evanston and Chicago. By any measure, Northwestern ranks among the premier universities in the nation, combining the resources of a major research university with the intimacy of a small college. The number of undergraduates here is relatively small -- only 7,900 -- yet, with more than 80 formal academic concentrations in six undergraduate schools, we offer an astonishing range of study. Northwestern's excellence is evident in many ways: test scores and class rank of entering students, library holdings, the success of our graduates. What sets us apart from many other large universities, however, is our commitment to undergraduate teaching: Our faculty teach more than 95 percent of the courses on campus, and the opportunities for undergraduates to do research projects or independent study are plentiful.No matter which school or course of study you choose, you will find that a foundation in the liberal arts is an integral part of your education at Northwestern. Whether you enter the University knowing your major or, like most, are undecided, you will be encouraged to explore in directions both unexpected and exciting.Our students rarely confine their talent and energy to the classroom. Northwestern's student-run daily newspaper has received national recognition, and audiences applaud performances featuring our student body. Approximately 250 campus organizations serve the interests and needs of our students.If you would like to apply to Northwestern or if you would simply like to learn more about the University, keep surfing. We've answered some of the more common questions about Northwestern in the links to the left, and we've also provided opportunities for you to request more information below. To learn more about the concentrations, special programs, and requirements of our undergraduate programs, follow the links above.

41.University of New South Wales:Australia

University of New South Wales

http://www.unsw.edu.au/

The History of UNSW

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The University was incorporated by Act of the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney in 1949, but its character and idea can be traced back to the formation of the Sydney Mechanics Institute in 1843, leading to the formation of the Sydney Technical College in 1878. The Institute sought ‘the diffusion of scientific and special knowledge’, the College sought to apply and teach it. Commenced as The New South Wales University of Technology, the University’s international context is that of the Australian recognition of that scientific and technological impulse in tertiary education that produced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Berlin University of Technology. It acknowledged at university level that profound development in human knowledge and concern that had impelled the nineteenth century industrial and scientific revolution.
The new University’s focus was on this new knowledge, this new way of encountering, explaining and improving the material world. Australia needed to keep abreast of the diversity of challenges associated with the Second World War, a demand recognised by the NSW Government in establishing the University. Its core concerns was teaching and research in science and technology, but its courses included humanities and commerce components in recognition of the need to educate the full human being. Initially, in 1949, operating from the inner city campus of Sydney Technical College, it immediately began to expand on its present eastern suburb site at Kensington, where a major and continuing building program was pursued. Central to the University’s first twenty years was the dynamic authoritarian management of the first Vice-Chancellor, Sir Philip Baxter (1955 – 1969, and previously, Director, 1953 – 1955). His visionary but at times controversial energies, built the university from nothing to 15,000 students in 1968, pioneering both established and new scientific and technological disciplines against an external background of traditionalist criticism. A growing staff, recruited both locally and overseas, conducted research which established a wide international reputation.
The new University soon had Colleges at Newcastle (1951) and Wollongong (1961) which eventually became independent universities. The Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra became, and remains, a University College in 1981.In 1958 the University name was changed to the University of New South Wales, and in 1960 it broadened its scholarly, student base and character with the establishment of a Faculty of Arts, soon to be followed, in 1960 by Medicine, then in 1971 by Law.By Baxter’s retirement in 1969, the University had made a unique and enterprising Australian mark. The new Vice-Chancellor, Sir Rupert Myers, (1969-1981) brought consolidation and an urbane management style to a period of expanding student numbers, demand for change in University style, and challenges of student unrest. Easy with, and accessible to students, Myers’ management ensured academic business as usual through tumultuous University times.The 1980s saw a University in the top group of Australian universities. Its Vice-Chancellor of the period, Professor Michael Birt (1981-1992), applied his liberal cultivation to the task of coping with increasing inroads, into the whole Australian university system, of Federal bureaucracy and unsympathetic and increasingly parsimonious governments. His task mixed strategies for financial survival with meeting the demands of a student influx which took the University into being one of the largest in Australia, as well as being, in many fields, the most innovative and diverse.
From 1951 the University had welcomed international students, and by 2000, of a student population of 31,000, about 6000 were international students, most from Asia. Annual graduation ceremonies are held in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.The stabilising techniques of the 1980s provided a firm base for the energetic corporatism and campus enhancements pursued by the previous Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Niland (1992 - 2002). The 1990s saw the addition of a Fine Arts dimension to the University and further development of the public and community outreach which had characterised the University from its beginnings. At present, private sources contribute 45% of its annual funding.After fifty years of dynamic growth the University tradition is one of sustained innovation, a blend of scholarship and practical realism. Its tone is lively and informal, its atmosphere exciting and happy. It offers the widest range of Faculties, its initial emphasis on science and technology now sharing excellence with disciplines as various as Arts, Fine Arts, the Built Environment, Commerce, Law, Life Sciences, Medicine, Management – that whole world of knowledge whose investigation and communication was its initial stimulus.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is one of the leading teaching and research universities in Australia - renowned for the quality of its graduates and its commitment to new and creative approaches to education and research. Its motto - Scientia Manu et Mente ("Knowledge by Hand and Mind") - encapsulates the University's central philosophy of balancing the practical and the scholarly.UNSW graduates are highly employable and command some of the best starting salaries.As a result, more than half of New South Wales' top HSC students consistently make UNSW their first preference, more than all other universities in the State combined.The University also enjoys the reputation of Australia's leading international university with the largest on-campus enrolment of international students and over 200 sister university partnerships around the world, amongst many other international activities.

40.University of Manchester:UK

University of Manchester

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/

About Manchester

Manchester has a thriving cultural life, catering to its huge student population, and vies with London for possession of the nation's clubbing crown!
LonelyPlanet.com
The University of Manchester is at the heart of a dynamic and expanding city that attracts an increasing number of students, visitors and businesses every year.
Life certainly is for living in Manchester. It's a lively, cosmopolitan city offering you an enviable mix of multicultural attractions.
Buzzing with events, clubs and bars (often with great student discounts and special offers), you'll never be short of things to do.
Did you know that:
Manchester has been voted the coolest place in the UK outside London by a 2002 survey of 18-30 year olds
It is the third smiliest place in the UK (joint with Exeter) according to a Comic Relief 2003 survey
Manchester also came second in a 2002 survey of the UK's most musical cities
The city is home to two of the England's top 10 Architectural Highlights of the Year for 2003

The University is in the heart of the city centre.
Like thousands of others before you, you'll find that Manchester is the perfect student city, and the University is right in the heart of Manchester city centre.
Prepare to step off campus and straight into the middle of everything Manchester has to offer.

Manchester has a long tradition of excellence in Higher Education. UMIST can trace its roots back to 1824 and the formation of the Manchester Mechanics' Institute, whilst The Victoria University of Manchester was founded as Owens College in 1851. After 100 years of working together, these two great institutions are formally combining to form a single university, coming into being on 22 October 2004.The University of Manchester has an exceptional record of generating and sharing new ideas and innovations.Many of the advances of the 20th century began at the University, such as the work by Rutherford leading to the splitting of the atom and the developments of the world's first modern computer in 1948.Today, we are one of the world's top centres for biomedical research, leading the search for new treatments for life-threatening diseases. We are also at the forefront of new discoveries in science and engineering.Manchester aims to be one of the top 25 research Universities in the world. The University is also applying its expertise and knowledge to solving some of the major social, economic and environmental problems confronting mankind around the globe.The University's total expenditure on research in 2003/2004 was £269.5 million. The quality, breadth and volume of research activity is unparalleled in the UK as indicated in the results of the independent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).By 2015, The University of Manchester aims to hold a world-class leading research profile and be among the top 25 universities in the world. The University of Manchester is committed to an environment that values and celebrates the diverse nature of its population, which is key to the vision of Manchester 2015, 'The Strategic Plan of the University of Manchester'. We will take positive steps to achieve equality in the workplace and we are committed to both meeting and exceeding our obligations under equality legislation.The academic structure of the University of Manchester is made up of Faculties and Schools. There are four Faculties, each of which is divided into a number of SchoolsThe University of Manchester is at the heart of a dynamic and expanding city that attracts an increasing number of students, visitors and businesses every year.Life certainly is for living in Manchester. It's a lively, cosmopolitan city offering you an enviable mix of multicultural attractions. Buzzing with events, clubs and bars (often with great student discounts and special offers), you'll never be short of things to do.

39.University of Geneva:Switzerland

University of Geneva

http://www.unige.ch/en/

Our History

We, at the University of Geneva, are proud of our:
Longstanding international tradition as well as of our local heritage
Constant quest for Excellence
Close collaboration with the international organisations
Rapid expansion in life science research
From the time of its creation in 1559 by Jean Calvin, right up to the recent discovery by University astrophysicians of extrasolar planets, the University of Geneva has continued to grow and develop in a manner commensurate with its longstanding tradition of excellence and its international approach.

From the time of its creation in 1559 by Jean Calvin, right up to the recent discovery by University astrophysicists of extrasolar planets, the University of Geneva has continued to grow and develop while maintaining its longstanding tradition of excellence with an international angle.The University of Geneva is the second largest university in Switzerland and is a public institution of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. It pursues three missions: Teaching (classes are, in general, taught in French), research, and service to the wider community.

38.Monash University:Australia

Monash University

http://www.monash.edu.au/

A brief history of Monash University
Named after prominent Australian Sir John Monash, Monash University was established by an Act of Parliament in 1958, making it the first university to be established in the State of Victoria for 106 years.
From its first intake of 347 students at Clayton in 1961, the university grew rapidly in size and student numbers so that by 1967, it had enrolled more than 21,700 students.
In the decades that followed, Monash developed a wide range of courses in arts, commerce, engineering, education, law, medicine and science. It also established new buildings across the Clayton site and created a thriving cultural atmosphere with outstanding performing arts and concert programs and a growing collection of contemporary Australian art.
In 1990, Monash moved beyond the borders of Clayton and merged with the Chisholm Institute of Technology, creating the university's Caulfield and Peninsula campuses. This was followed by the establishment of the Gippsland campus, which, after an initial period as Monash University College Gippsland, officially became part of the Monash University family in 1991. The following year, the Victorian College of Pharmacy joined the rapidly growing university as the Parkville campus.
The growth continued apace with the establishment of a new campus in Berwick in 1994 within the south-eastern growth corridor of Melbourne.
In 1998, the Malaysian Ministry of Education invited Monash to set up a campus in Malaysia jointly with the Sunway Group. Monash University Malaysia was established in 1998 -- the first Monash campus outside Australia. A second off-shore campus was opened in South Africa in 2001.
From a single campus at Clayton with fewer than 400 students, Monash has grown into a network of campuses, centres and partnerships around the world with more than 50,000 students from over 130 countries.

Excellence in research and education and great diversity in location, culture and people distinguish Monash as a leading Australian and proudly international university.Since first admitting students in 1961, Monash has earned its place among Australia's prestigious Group of Eight universities with its dedication to the highest educational standards. We have over 50,000 students from more than 100 countries at our 6 Australian campuses and our campuses in Malaysia and South Africa. Our students also benefit from our centres in London, UK and Prato, Italy and our teaching and research partnerships around the globe. Among the worldwide Monash community are over 200,000 alumni - our graduates - who are highly sought after by industry and the professions and whose achievements in such areas as law, medicine, commerce, government, engineering, arts and sciences are outstanding.Over its 45 year history, Monash has built a strong international reputation in research and scholarship and made extraordinary contributions to fields including stem cell science, nanotechnology, environmental science, drug development and discovery, historical and cultural studies and road safety. The university's original Clayton campus is to be home to Australia's first national synchrotron - a revolutionary scientific facility that will open in 2007 and become a crucial tool for research scientists

37.École Polytechnique:France

École Polytechnique

http://www.polytechnique.edu/

After the enthusiasm of 1789, France faces the disruptions that accompanied the fall of the Monarchy and the abuses of Terror. The young Republic has to fight against its within and foreign enemies. At the beginning of 1794, the situation is almost desperate, and the State tragically lacks scientific and technical managers. At the instigation of some reputed scientists rejoining the new ideas, among whom are the geometer Monge and the chemist Fourcroy, the State Security Committee creates a Civil Engineering Commission in 1794. In less than eight months, and despite the troubles of time, the Ecole Polytechnique is created thanks to the efforts of this commission. Its professors are nominated among the greatest names in science and its students are enrolled after an examination occurring all over the country.
~ These 400 students were chosen to enter the new school by their knowledge and intelligence. Thus they must not be stopped by money problems. That is why the future students received travelling expenses of a first class gunner, that is about 15 shillings a day, and they had to get a salary of 900 francs a year (about 140 euros).
~ From its creation, the school finds in this way its mission clearly defined. It will be called Ecole Polytechnique in September 1795. It has to give to its students a strong scientific background, supported by mathematics, physics and chemistry and to train them for entering special State public services schools, such as the Engineering School, the School of Mining Engineering or the Civil Engineering.
~ In 1804, the decision is taken to settle the Ecole Polytechnique on the Montagne Sainte Geneviève. It will stay in these prestigious but inconvenient premises until 1976. It owes also to Napoleon its flag and its motto : "Pour la Patrie, les Sciences et la Gloire" (For Homeland, Sciences and Glory).

For more than two hundred years, the Ecole Polytechnique, the most prestigious educational establishment in France, has been dedicated to educating students in science and technology at the highest level and in advanced research.The Ecole Polytechnique, a state-supported Grande Ecole, with 2,500 students, 380 faculty members and 1,300 researchers, is a member of the ParisTech group which is composed of ten of the foremost French schools of engineering and science in the Paris area.There are many reasons why outstanding students in science might choose to study at the Ecole Polytechnique:A wide and comprehensive curriculum which offers each and every student a unique chance to choose from selected courses and map out his or her own professional goalsThe research center is on the cutting edge of most scientific fields;The development of partnerships-one of the most ambitious projects in Europe-has helped forge links with institutions of higher learning from all over the worldThe Ecole Polytechnique's alumni hold key positions in the world of science, business and in the top ranks of the French specialized professions which serve the state;Beyond its academic requirements, the school is committed to training young men and women of excellence for leadership, including through student clubs and service to the community, but also in sports and recreational activities which can be practiced on a large campus with all the necessary modern facilities just 20 minutes from Paris.These are some of the many reasons why the Ecole Polytechnique has been regularly ranked at the top of undergraduate and graduate programs in science and technology among the French Grandes Ecoles and why it is considered as one of the finest institutions of higher learning in science in the world.Directed by a board of trustees consisting of twenty-six leaders in business and industry, science, engineering, higher education and other managerial professions, the Ecole Polytechnique is also supported by a very strong alumni association.The mission of the Ecole Polytechnique is to train students capable of devising and achieving complex and innovative projects at the highest-level possible, thanks to a strong pluriscientific culture. Our mission is also to train young men and women in leadership skills so that they can become tomorrow's outstanding scientists, researchers, managers and public officials.