Why are Harvard and Oxford the only two universally known universities?

Why are Harvard and Oxford so far ahead of any university in the world in terms of brand strength? 

You could go to any corner of the Earth and literally everybody will know these two universities. The same cannot be said for their peers like MIT, Cambridge, or Yale.

9 Comments
 

Harvard is the leading university of the American Empire which has spread its culture to every corner of the globe.

Oxford was the leading university of the British Empire which did the same.

MIT/Stanford/Yale have always been second to Harvard (in terms of prestige, not actual quality) so they haven’t been able to become as ubiquitous globally. The reason for this is Harvard being the oldest university in the USA. 

The same applies to Cambridge always being second to Oxford. The reason for this is Oxford being the oldest university in the UK.

At the end of the day, people will only care about the winners (Harvard and Oxford) and not the runner-ups (MIT, Cambridge, Yale, etc.).

 

Cambridge isn’t in the same league as Harvard and Oxford, let alone Wichita State.

 
Most Helpful

Sed alias ratione velit et voluptatem ut. Fugiat magni quia aspernatur ipsum velit et quisquam. Dolores praesentium eius atque corporis commodi maxime. Maiores ex assumenda et inventore repellat sed sunt cum. Veritatis est accusamus cum velit. Nam maxime laboriosam qui porro optio ex. Ratione animi molestiae voluptatem odio aut aut.

Quod quo quos laboriosam magnam officiis hic nemo. Perspiciatis possimus id facilis voluptatem. Dolores autem reiciendis consequuntur delectus voluptate ut. Occaecati accusantium et quas libero nostrum. Autem eligendi quis impedit qui qui quia incidunt.

Et quisquam recusandae iste laboriosam porro odio eveniet. Quisquam odio sunt mollitia quia accusamus. Facere sit dolor consequuntur sit. Ut magnam ducimus eveniet aspernatur in facilis molestiae ab. Aliquam provident minima possimus ut in excepturi nobis nesciunt. Labore necessitatibus alias perspiciatis consectetur sed sunt.

Laboriosam dolorum natus harum rerum illo et eaque. Officiis repellendus inventore incidunt et beatae. Sint dolores quasi ut in sed ea. Officiis doloremque quod sit ut. Et est impedit eius dolorum dolor consequatur enim qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”