Pursuing higher education opens a world of opportunities. Top quality higher education opens up even more. According to data from the 2016 Best Countries rankings, a characterization of 60 countries based on a survey of more than 16,000 people from four regions, the United States has the best colleges and universities in the world. The United States boasts top institutions such as Princeton University, Williams College, and Harvard University. Coming up second was the United Kingdom, which is known primarily for the storied universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Notably, the only country in the top 10 Overall Best Countries that did not make this list was Denmark. Instead, Italy, which ranks 13th overall, was considered to have superior higher education. Here are the countries with the best colleges and universities in the world: Country Name Best Countries Overall Rank 1. United States 4 2. United Kingdom 3 3. Canada 2 4. Germany 1 5. France 8 6. Australia 6 7. Japan 7 8. Sweden 5 9. Netherlands 9 10. Italy 13 (Booklet printing, printing in China).