A survey of the top universities in the world ranked four Israeli universities among the top 300, The Times of Israel reported today.

The QS World University Rankings, which take into account research, teaching, graduate employability, and international outlook, were released on Tuesday.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was named the best university in Israel, coming in 138th overall – just behind Dartmouth College and just ahead of the University of Virginia. The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology was Israel’s next highest, at 190th, followed by Tel Aviv University, at 195th, and Ben-Gurion University, at 292nd.

The Times reports that the top three Israeli schools’s rankings didn’t change much from last year, but Ben-Gurion University jumped nearly 40 places to re-enter the top 300 for the first time since 2008. The university’s rise in the rankings was due “to boosts in its international reputation among academics and employers.” The company that produced the rankings also listed Ben-Gurion as one of the top 50 universities that aren’t yet 50 years old.

The esteemed reputations of Israeli universities have prompted numerous partnerships with global corporations and other academic institutions.

Last year a group of American university presidents visited Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and the Technion to explore partnership opportunities with the Israeli institutions.

In May, MIT (the top-ranked university in the QS rankings) announced a partnership deal with Ben-Gurion University. The technology company IBM also announced a partnership with Ben-Gurion this year to create a new cyber-security research center. Additionally, Hebrew University was recently highlighted in a Popular Science article about Israeli high tech innovations.

[Photo: Pablo Markin / Flickr ]