The QS World University Rankings is published annually and ranks the world’s top 500 universities. The full results, subject specific rankings, methodology and interactive tables are listed on topuniversities.com
History of the QS World University Rankings
The purpose of the QS World University Rankings has been to recognize universities as the multi-faceted organizations that they are, to provide a global comparison of their success against the notional mission of remaining or becoming world-class.
From the beginning, four key pillars were decided upon which a World Class University can be built. These pillars formed the basis for evaluation from which criteria were chosen to evaluate universities globally.
The four pillars are: research quality, teaching quality, graduate employability, and international outlook.
Methodology
The QS World University Rankings use the following criteria:
Academic Peer Review: weighting 40%
The Academic Peer Review is the centrepiece of the QS World University Rankings and is based on an online survey distributed to academics worldwide. Respondents are not permitted to submit their own institution or to respond more than once (their latest response is counted). Weightings are applied both geographically and by discipline to ensure as fair a representative spread as possible.
Employer Review: weighting 10%
Similar to the Academic Peer Review, the Employer Review indicator is based on a global online survey, this time distributed to employers. Results are again based on three years worth of "latest response" data. Geographical weightings are applied to ensure fair representation from key regions of the world.
Faculty Student Ratio: weighting 20%
Faculty Student Ratio is used in many ranking systems and evaluations in the world, and is the most globally available and accessible measure of commitment to teaching. An indication that the institution in question has sufficient staff to teach its students.
Citations per Faculty: weighting 20%
Citations are a widely used, conventional measure of research strength. A citation is a reference to one academic publication in the text of another. The more citations a publication receives the better it is perceived to be, the more highly cited papers a university publishes, the stronger it can be considered to be.
International Factors: weight 10%
In today's increasingly globalized world, the most successful universities have to attract the world's best students and faculty. Simple evaluations of international factors, such as the proportion of international students and international faculty serve as indicators of an institution's international attractiveness.
QS Classification
New for 2009, the QS classifications are designed to provide additional context to the rankings tables. They are based on key aspects of size, as defined by the size of the student body; subject focus, as defined by the range of faculty areas in which programs are offered; and research activity level, as defined by the number of papers published in a five-year period.
2009 Rankings (Top 20)
| 2009 rankings[1] | 2008 rankings[2] | 2007 rankings[3] | 2006 rankings[4] | 2005 rankings[5] | 2004 rankings[6] | University | Country | Average score |
| 01 | 01 | 01 | 01 | 01 | 01 | Harvard University | US | 01 |
| 02 | 03 | 02= | 02 | 03 | 06 | University of Cambridge | UK | 03 |
| 03 | 02 | 02= | 04= | 07 | 08 | Yale University | US | 04 |
| 04 | 07 | 09 | 25 | 28 | 34 | University College London | UK | 18 |
| 05= | 06 | 05 | 09 | 13 | 14 | Imperial College London | UK | 09 |
| 05= | 04 | 02= | 03 | 04 | 05 | University of Oxford | UK | 04 |
| 07 | 08 | 07= | 11 | 17 | 13 | University of Chicago | US | 11 |
| 08 | 12 | 06 | 10 | 09 | 09 | Princeton University | US | 09 |
| 09 | 09 | 10 | 04= | 02 | 03 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | US | 06 |
| 10 | 05 | 07= | 07 | 08 | 04 | California Institute of Technology | US | 07 |
| 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 19 | Columbia University | US | 14 |
| 12 | 11 | 14 | 26 | 32 | 28 | University of Pennsylvania | US | 21 |
| 13 | 13= | 15 | 23 | 27 | 25 | Johns Hopkins University | US | 19 |
| 14 | 13= | 13 | 13 | 11 | 52 | Duke University | US | 19 |
| 15 | 15 | 20= | 15 | 14 | 23 | Cornell University | US | 17 |
| 16 | 17 | 19 | 06 | 05 | 07 | Stanford University | US | 12 |
| 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 23 | 16 | Australian National University | Australia | 17 |
| 18 | 20 | 12 | 21 | 24 | 21 | McGill University | Canada | 19 |
| 19 | 18 | 38= | 29 | 36 | 31 | University of Michigan | US | 29 |
| 20= | 23 | 23 | 33= | 30 | 48 | University of Edinburgh | UK | 30 |
| 20= | 24 | 42 | 24 | 21 | 10 | ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland | 24 |
QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education (THE)
Between 2004-2009, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) produced the World University Rankings in partnership with the Times Higher Education (THE). This six-year partnership reached the end of its term with the 2009 results.
QS World University Rankings Team
The team behind the QS World University Rankings consists of:
Nunzio Quacquarelli, Managing Director of QS
Nunzio Quacquarelli took his MBA at The Wharton School in the USA, where he won the Glockner Prize for Management, after gaining an MA at the University of Cambridge. At Wharton, Nunzio also led the team that won the Moot Corp Business Venture Award in 1990, in competition with teams from all the top US and European business schools. Before starting his own business Nunzio worked in strategy consulting for Mercer Management Consulting and Bain & Company, in the UK and Italy.
Ben Sowter, Head of QS Intelligence Unit
Ben Sowter has a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Nottingham, where he was also awarded the Union Prize for outstanding contribution to the student union and served as chairman of the Nottingham University Debating Society. Ben is fully responsible for the operational management of all major QS research projects and is actively involved in all the collection, compilation and tabulation of data that lead to, amongst others, the World University Rankings. A regular on the international conference circuit, Ben’s lectures, seminars, workshops and opinions are highly sought after.
John O’Leary
John O’Leary is a British journalist, formerly editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement and previously Education Editor of The Times. He is also the author of the 2005 Times Good University Guide.
Martin Ince
Martin Ince is a contributing editor of Times Higher Education and editor of the THE-QS World University Rankings. Martin works as a freelance journalist and media adviser and is author of ten books, most recently the Rough Guide to the Earth (2007).
Both John O’Leary and Martin Ince are contributing writers for QS Top Universities Guide.
Comments
On Thursday 8 October, 2009, Sean Flynn of the Irish Times said: “With more than 2,000 colleges surveyed, the QS World University Rankings are regarded as the most reliable guide to university performance.”[7]
“The ranking, a collaboration between the THE[S] and higher education consultants Quacquarelli Symonds, is used around the world by consumers — parents and students — as well as academics looking for work and employers seeking recruits.” The Australian, Australia, 2009[8]
“The [THE] – QS table is the only international table that aspires to embrace the broader scope of a university’s mission rather than just its research quality or website effectiveness.” Malay Mail, Malaysia 2009.[9]
“This year's rankings attracted a record level of responses from the academic community and employers, with results suggesting that the dominance of the traditionally elite universities is increasingly being challenged.” The Evening Times, UK, 2009[10]
THE editor, Ann Mroz told ABS-CBN News on Tuesday 13 October 2008: "These rankings use an unprecedented amount of data to deliver the most accurate measure available of the world’s best universities, and of the strength of different nations’ university systems. They are important for governments wanting to gauge the progress of their education systems, and are used in planning by universities across the world."[11]
Top Universities Guide
The 'Guide to the World's Top Universities' is based on the QS World University Rankings. Co-edited by Nunzio Quacquarelli, Martin Ince and John O’Leary, the 520-page guide contains detailed profiles on the top 200 ranked universities around the world, ranks the top 100 universities worldwide by principal subject area, a contact directory of the top 500 universities worldwide and reviews of the top ten study destinations worldwide.
TopUniversities.com
www.topuniversities.com is the home of the QS World University Rankings. It features lists of the world’s top 500 universities, including direct electronic links to all institutions. TopUniversities.com also provides articles on information relevant to undergraduate students wishing to study abroad for their higher education, including study destinations, gap year experiences, finance/scholarships, countries and programs of study.
QS Asian University Rankings
In 2008, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) launched the QS Asian University Rankings in partnership with The Chosun Ilbo newspaper in Korea, which ranked the top 200 Asian universities.
References
- ^ "THE-QS World University Rankings 2009". http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=431&pubCode=1&navcode=148.
- ^ "THE-QS World University Rankings 2008". http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=416&pubCode=1&navcode=137.
- ^ "THES-QS World University Rankings 2007". http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=142&pubCode=1&navcode=118.
- ^ "THES World University Rankings 2006". http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=160&pubCode=1&navcode=119.
- ^ "THES-QS World University Rankings 2005". http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=174&pubCode=1&navcode=120.
- ^ "THES World University Rankings 2004". http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=194&pubCode=1&navcode=120.
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1008/1224256169314.html
- ^ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/eight-aussie-unis-in-worlds-top-100/story-e6frg6nf-1225784061910
- ^ http://www.mmail.com.my/content/15245-um-back-list-world-top-200-universities
- ^ http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.2531850.0.glasgow_university_keeps_spot_in_worlds_top_100.php
- ^ http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/13/08/ateneo-rise-2008-qs-world-university-rankings
External links
- TopUniversities.com — Quacquarelli Symonds
- THE - QS World University Rankings 2009 — full rankings (top 200)
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