When it comes to making a choice for an institution to
pursue an international education, aspirants consider many quantifiable factors
like the safety of the country to be visited, funding and endowment, student life and
involvement, weather, job opportunities while studying, industrial linkage,
excellence in specialization, diversity in faculty, research influence, etc.
However, university ranking is an important factor to consider.
University rankings were set in motion
during the 1980s, when countries started making use of indicators, such as
academic reputation, admission selections, academic output, and financial
resources, to demonstrate and rank the quality of education providers.
With increasing competition in the global
economy and the growth in students traveling abroad to pursue higher education,
ranking universities on a global scale were the next step.
This blog is aimed at knowing how these university
rankings work. We are considering two factors i.e.
1. How are universities ranked?
2. Are these rankings important?
How are universities ranked?
Here’s a glimpse at a few of the most looked at
rankings along with their ranking criteria:
1. QS World University Rankings is the most extensively
looked upon university ranking across the world. It was produced by
Quacquarelli Symonds and has issued rankings each year since 2004. The QS World
University Rankings keep up with availing itself of an exceptionally
reconcilable methodological framework, put together with the use of six
uncomplicated metrics that effectively capture the performance of a university.
Thus, universities are evaluated according to the
following six metrics:
i) Academic Reputation (20%)
ii) Employer reputation (10%)
iii) Faculty/Student Ratio (20%)
iv) Citations per faculty (20%)
v) International faculty ratio
vi) International student ratio (5% each)
2. Times Higher Education World University Rankings
encompasses more than 1,600 universities situated across 99 destinations,
making it a substantial and one of the most diverse university ranking. It
makes use of 13 considerately gauged performance indicators, that measure an
institution’s performance across four areas. The rankings are trusted by
students, academics, universities, and industry leaders to understand the
quality of research and its influence that sets an institution apart.
A few of these parameters are:
1. Teaching
2. Research
3. Citations
4. International outlook
5. Industry Income
3. Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known
as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university
rankings. ARWU is regarded as one of the three most influential and widely
observed university rankings, alongside QS World University Rankings and Times
Higher Education World University Rankings. It ranks more than 2000
universities and eventually publishes the best 1000. Their parameters include:
i) The number of alumni winning Nobel Prizes and Fields
Medals
ii) The number of staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields
Medals
iii) The number of highly cited researchers selected by
Clarivate Analytics
iv) The number of articles published in journals of
Nature and Science
v) The number of articles indexed in the Science Citation
Index – Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index
vi) The per capita academic performance of a university
Are these rankings important?
The rankings by various sources like the ones mentioned
above, prove to be useful to students who are researching in on their study
destination and want to assess an institution’s strengths. From recruiters to the government, everyone makes use of these rankings to get aware of their standing
in this increasingly competitive marketplace. Magazines, newspapers, websites,
governments, and academics think of it as preferable to evaluate not only the
entire institution but also programs, departments, and schools. This helps
students to choose their institution wishing to consider specific criteria.
Employability and Graduate rankings are a good point of
commencement for learning about the universities and colleges with the focus on
providing employment opportunities to learners. It is necessary to balance both
on- and off-campus experiences, in order to seek a diverse environment in the
company of strong international involvement and expert faculty.
A university’s all-embracing recognition is highly consequential. Nevertheless, unearthing emotional support from an institute, as well as getting hands on a faculty that concerns itself about your growth, and having peers who share your passion is equally important.
For further assistance or queries students can contact
us, Edwise International, and avail themselves of our wide range of services
for students in destinations like Universities in Canada, study in Canada,
study in UK, study in USA, Study in Ireland, study in Australia, study inNew-Zealand, study in Singapore and many other countries.