Moscow State University remained in the top 200 despite moving back four spots compared with last year, from 116 to 120.
In contrast, St. Petersburg State University (240th), the Moscow Bauman State Technical University (334th) and the Novosibirsk State University (352nd) improved their rankings, moving up by more than dozen positions.
Four institutions were included in the OS rankings for the first time this year – Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, Southern Federal University and Voronezh State University.
The top ten places in the list of the best world universities are traditionally held by six American and four British universities, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology dominating the rankings.
The UK-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds has established itself as the leading global provider of specialist higher education and career information and solutions. Its activities span 50 countries, working with over 2,000 of the world's leading higher education institutions and over 12,000 employers.
The QS World University Rankings have been compiled every year since 2004 and currently includes 800 universities. The drafters of the list evaluate schools on six criteria: reputation in the academic world, cited publications of the university, the ratio of teachers to students, the ratio of graduates to employers, as well as the relative number of foreign teachers and students.
RIA Novosti Group and QS Quacquarelli Symonds have recently signed a partnership agreement to publish data about educational institutions on RIA Novosti’s websites.
During the three-year partnership, RIA Novosti will publish rankings that are updated annually by QS, including the top 50 QS Best Student Cities, QS University Subject Rankings, and QS University Rankings: Asia.