A SCOTTISH university has been named one of the world's top 20 institutions founded in the last 50 years.

Dundee University was ranked joint 19th in the Times Higher Education's 100 Under 50 rankings for 2015.

The only other Scottish institutions to feature were Stirling University, which came 47th after a rise of nine places, and Heriot Watt University, in Edinburgh, which came 77th after falling 27 places.

Professor Pete Downes, principal of Dundee University, said: "This is another tremendous accolade for the university and follows on from our strong showing in Times Higher's annual student experience survey, where we ranked top in Scotland for the sixth consecutive year.

"The rankings showcase the best of the emerging universities around the globe so we are in good company and delighted to be among the top 20."

The rankings were topped by Switzerland's �cole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, which moved up from second place to overtake South Korea's Pohang University of Science and Technology.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) held on to third, followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Phil Baty, the rankings editor, said: "The UK has lost its position as a top nation in the 100 Under 50 to Australia, a country with a richer and more diverse university mix.

"The table is led by young, exciting and dynamic institutions - in many cases a lot younger than the UK's - from nations investing heavily in creating world-class institutions such as Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore. The UK will have to raise its game to compete."

The rankings employ the same indicators as the Times Higher World University Rankings, but the methodology reflects the special characteristics of younger universities, giving less weight to subjective indicators such as academic reputation.