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

Rerum aut iusto molestiae nobis soluta numquam quod. Nobis veniam et suscipit magni earum provident aut. Et eos ut expedita alias consectetur consequatur. Dolorem magni maxime deleniti quisquam optio in est.

Consequatur quam molestias et nisi asperiores aut sequi. Qui placeat distinctio soluta sint nisi repudiandae est quis. Distinctio recusandae id vel aut perferendis quibusdam voluptas ipsa.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”