First-class level As of August 29th, 2023, according to official website's 2022 QS University World Ranking, Columbia University is equivalent to Tsinghua University, Peking University and other domestic first-class universities. Columbia University ranked 22nd in qs in 2022, and Tsinghua University and Peking University ranked 2 1. Columbia University, founded in 1754, is the fifth oldest higher education institution in the United States.