Peking University of China ranks highest among Chinese mainland universities in the QS World University Rankings, despite slipping two places from the previous year to the 46th place.

While its compatriot Tsinghua University, the other one of China's two toppest univerisities, remained 48th.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has once again beaten Harvard and Cambridge to the top spot in the QS World University Rankings.

First topping the ranking last year, MIT, the US university that specializes in science and technology retained its top slot. Harvard came second, climbing up a place this year, and Cambridge third in the ranking published on Tuesday.

The University of Hong Kong ranked 26th, the second-highest ranked institution outside Europe and North America only next to National University of Singapore ranking 24th.

University College London, Imperial College London, Oxford, Stanford, Yale, the University of Chicago, and Princeton, in that order, make up the rest of the top 10.

The QS rankings reiterated the US's dominant position, with American universities accounting for six of the world’s top 10 entries, more than half of the top 20, just under a third of the top 100, and a quarter of the top 200.

It's also good news for UK universities, as they occupy third to sixth place, and a record six UK universities make the global top 20 in this year's QS World University Rankings.

The QS table is based on measurements of research quality, graduate employability, teaching and the quality of international faculties and student bodies.