The 10 best universities in the world with less than 5,000 students

California Institute of Technology (USA) leads the ranking of the best small-scale universities in the world published by THE in early August.

This ranking was released by THE (Times Higher Education) after collecting data and surveying students' opinions. To be eligible to be ranked, schools must be on THE's world university rankings for 2019, teach more than four subjects and have fewer than 5,000 students. This year, the average number of students in a university in this ranking of small schools is about 2,700.

Here are 10 universities rated as the best:

1. California Institute of Technology - Caltech (USA)

2019 is the third time in a row Caltech holds this position. The school has just over 2,200 students offering a range of science and technology programs taught by world-renowned academics and modern facilities. This fully satisfies the requirement to teach more than four subjects and have less than 5,000 students of THE.

In addition, Caltech is also appreciated for having many famous alumni. The school once had 34 Nobel Prize winners.

2. École Polytechnique (France)

The most prestigious school in France is highly rated by students for its low student-faculty ratio, small class sizes, diverse environment with nearly 3,000 students from more than 60 countries.

Jianfei Zhang, a student from China studying at the École Polytechnique, said that the small class size at the school helped him master the knowledge better and have easier access.

3. Pohang University of Science and Technology - POSTECH (Korea)

Right in the first year of being ranked, POSTECH ranked third. This school was established in 1986 to provide advanced education for future engineers. To date, the school has more than 3,200 students with a teacher / student ratio of only 10.7.

4. Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies - Pisa (Italy)

The school has more than 730 students. In order to attend this school, students must score high on exams and be fluent in two languages. The school offers scholarships for outstanding students.

The university has many alumni rated as having the best scientific and political minds in Italy such as Prime Minister Giuliano Amato or neuroscientist Giuliano Tononi.

5. Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (Italy)

This is the smallest university ranked by THE. The school was founded in 1810 to focus on the humanities, politics, and sociology. The school has less than 600 students enrolled.

Many famous people have studied at this school, such as poet Giosue Carducci, Nobel laureate in Physics Carlo Rubbia, physicist Enrico Fermi, Italian prime minister Carlo Ciampi or mathematician Alessio Figalli.

6. University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg)

Luxembourg University was just established in 2003 and currently has nearly 5,000 students. The school is highly regarded for its lectures taught in French, German and English. In particular, university students of the school are also required to study for a semester abroad.

7. École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (France)

Compared to last year, the school in the French city of Lyon has dropped two places. The university currently has over 2,200 students with a faculty / student ratio of only 8.2.

8. Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology - UNIST (Korea)

As a small-sized university with more than 4,200 students, it was just established in 2009 but UNIST has a great ambition to aim at the top 10 world science and technology universities by 2030.

Currently, all school courses are taught in English. The school also promotes internationalization for both students and faculty.

9. École des Ponts ParisTech (France)

This is one of the most prestigious and oldest universities in France. The University mainly offers programs in subjects such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Finance, Economics, Urban and Environmental Studies, and Traffic Engineering.

10. Jacobs University (Germany)

Jacobs is a research-oriented university with disciplines such as Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering. The school is rated as "the most international" in Germany thanks to 1,450 students from 110 countries.