2. California Institute of Technology
This institute has moved up three places to take the second spot this year. "We try to get better, not bigger," says its president, Thomas F. Rosenbaum and that is what the institute strives towards. Its renowned for research and innovation and for constantly setting new standards of excellence. It is the second institution along with MIT, which has managed to score more than 80 out of 100 in all five areas - teaching, research, citation impact, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.