This meant that the universities simply could not produce the human resources required by the country. This educational policy provoked the young generation to protest strongly against the foundation of the regime. Eventually, the universities became the centre of political activities and were instrumental in the all-encompassing changes that occurred in 1978 and 1979—the Islamic Revolution. While universities in the U.S. and U.K. dominate global rankings, Asia, Europe, and Oceania are rapidly emerging as centers of academic power.
National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are now global leaders in engineering and technology. University of Tokyo and Tsinghua University represent Asia’s rise in research excellence. University of Melbourne and Australian National University (ANU) are top institutions in the Southern Hemisphere. In Europe, ETH Zurich and University of Copenhagen demonstrate the continent’s research depth and quality of life for students.
