Dundee and St Andrews universities have been named among the top 200 in the world.
The Times Higher Education rankings judged them on 13 performance indicators, including the quality and impact of their teaching and research and their ability to attract students and staff from overseas.
For Dundee inclusion on the list at 196th represents a welcome promotion.
St Andrews, however, has fallen from 108th last time to joint 117th with Glasgow.
Edinburgh University was the highest placed Scottish institution at 39th, with Aberdeen at 188th.
Three UK universities were in the top 10, with Oxford highest at joint second.
Professor Pete Downes, principal of Dundee University, said: “I am pleased to see the Times Higher Education rankings recognise the quality of Dundee as an institution as ranked against our peers.
“It is exactly the boost we are looking for in the week that Dundee sent off its final bid to become UK City of Culture in 2017.
“We operate on a global stage, welcoming students and staff from well over 100 countries to Dundee and engaging in projects which will help transform lives all over the world from diabetes care in Kuwait to conservation projects in the South Atlantic.”
“This ranking complements our extremely strong performance in the International Student Barometer, which confirms the very high opinions our international students have of Dundee.”
A St Andrews University spokesman said: “This isn’t where we want to be in this ranking, but it’s an anomalous result to every other league table published this year, all of which have placed St Andrews among the world’s top 100 and one of the top five in the UK.
“Our scores have improved considerably, yet like many UK and European universities, we have been squeezed in this particular table by exceptionally strong performances in higher education sectors where there has been significant additional investment.
“In league tables which judge the quality and strength of teaching, good degrees, completion rates, international mix and student satisfaction, however, St Andrews continues to be the leading university in Scotland, one of the top five in the UK and among the world’s top 100.”