When considering a university and study program, it’s important to take international rankings into account, but it’s crucial to approach them correctly. Knowing the types of rankings that exist, how they’re compiled, and how to interpret them can provide more objective information to make an informed decision.
Ratings are a valuable tool for comparing universities based on important criteria for applicants, such as the quality of teaching, student performance, language proficiency, and equipment availability. However, it’s important to note that not everyone’s ideal university will necessarily be the most prestigious or popular ones like Oxford or Cambridge.
Several authoritative rankings exist, and they may place universities in vastly different orders. However, it’s worth noting that the top 50 universities in most rankings overlap by 60-70%. While rankings are based on statistics and survey results, not all of their findings may hold true in practice. For instance, not every graduate from Ivy League universities will become a successful innovator or secure a high-paying job.
Types of ratings
Roughly speaking, rankings can be categorized into two types: global and national. Global rankings generally compare around 500 to 1500 universities worldwide, and there are around 20 well-known global ranking systems. Each ranking system has its own methodology, meaning universities may have different rankings depending on the system. A university could rank highly in one system based on its reviews, but lower in another system if it publishes fewer studies, for example.
National rankings are useful for those who have already decided on a country. Examples include the CHE University Ranking in Germany, The Complete University Guide in the UK, and Niche in the USA. There are more than 60 national rankings in total, offering a broader selection than global rankings. However, not all national rankings are of high quality or objective. Some are run by government organizations,ational rankings are useful for those who have already decided on a country. Examples include the CHE University Ranking in Germany, The Complete University Guide in the UK, and Niche in the USA. There are more than 60 national rankings in total, offering a broader selection than global rankings. However, not all national rankings are of high quality or objective. Some are run by government organizations, while others are run by private companies or media outlets. The latter may not have enough resources to provide accurate information and could be biased by offering higher positions to universities for money or by providing outdated or false information.
Both world and national rankings can have a specialization:
- in the field of study: technical sciences, medicine, art, MBA, etc.;
- by level of education: bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral studies, preparatory programs;
- by a specific indicator: the number of employed graduates, reputation, research work, and so on.
How are university rankings compiled?
We will talk about popular world rankings and their methodology a little later. Here we propose to consider the key factors that influence the positions of universities.
Science and research
Perhaps the most important factor in rankings and the most misleading factor in choosing a university. The scientific potential of the university is evaluated according to several criteria:
- publications in significant natural science journals;
- citation of scientific works;
- the number of university-related scientific prize winners.
In different ratings, these indicators range from 20 to 100% of the total score. They are of the greatest importance in the ARWU. In THE, the “weight” of publications and citations is 60% of all criteria. A little less attention is paid to it in QS Rankings – only 20%.
There is also a Webometrics rating, which ranks universities by the frequency of mentions and the number of publications on the Internet (only open access articles are taken into account). It is more objective than QS and THE, since it does not take into account the prestige of universities – it only looks at specific figures for scientific indicators. And still, the first places in it are occupied by Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, MIT and other well-known universities. But this is logical, because in their history they have produced hundreds of Nobel laureates and tens of thousands of revolutionary articles. They did millions of important studies, which attracted more funding, other brilliant scientists, and so on.
If you are really going to do postdoctoral research or study MRes (master’s degree in research) and PhD programs, then the factor of science and research will be one of the main factors for you when choosing a university. Otherwise, pay more attention to other indicators.
Student/Faculty Ratio
This is the ratio of the number of students to the number of teachers. In QS Ranking, it is 20% of the total score. The top lines according to the criterion are occupied by American and British universities, which is not surprising. The university system there is so developed that there are about 10 students per teacher, and 300 per professor at a European university. This factor is more important than it seems at first glance. After all, in most cases, a student will learn better information in a small room at a seminar than in a huge hall at a lecture. So it directly affects the quality of teaching.
The most prestigious universities in the world
In addition to the main ranking, Times Higher Education (THE) also publishes a reputation ranking of universities. According to the official website of the publication, it is compiled on the basis of the opinions of invited academicians. Researchers from 128 countries of the world, representatives of different scientific fields, receive a special questionnaire[4]. There are no other more objective criteria for creating a rating – only the personal perception of teachers. Whether to trust their opinion and THE is up to you, but it’s worth looking at the rating. At least to make sure – you will not see any new names there (with the exception of the University of Tokyo). If you need to earn money for training quickly – try Bet22.
Universities with big funding
Of course, university rankings in terms of academic performance are significant – they reflect the quality of education and student satisfaction. But still, they do not take into account some details that may also be important for students. For example, general financial investments in the development of the university. For students, this indicator means the possibility of receiving material assistance, and for those who plan to do science, it means good funding for projects, comfortable conditions for research, and high salaries. The wealthier the university, the more academics from all over the world it attracts.
The richest university in the world with a budget of more than 41 billion USD is Harvard. Yale (31 billion USD) and Stanford (29 billion USD) compete with him. The first two are in the notorious Ivy League. The average size of funds of American universities is 1.4 billion USD[5]. In addition to the United States, there are universities with large funding in Britain, Saudi Arabia and Singapore[6].
It is worth taking a closer look at the finances of the university if you plan to engage in scientific activities or are looking for large scholarships. The Ivy League, for example, thanks to its budget provides grants that can fully cover the cost of education.
