New 2014/15 QS World University Rankings

The latest QS world league table is out Full details of the rankings can be found at the QS website. A summary of the world top 10 follows where we find MIT retaining the top spot for a third consecutive year but really not a lot to grab the headlines here: Global top ten 1 …

Top new university ranking: 50 under 50 degrees north

An exciting new league table! Both QS and THE have, rather unimaginatively, produced rankings of universities under 50 years old. More exciting alternative rankings here have offered the highly creative 20 over 500 and 30 under six but this new not at all arbitrary league table draws not on age but on the inescapable facts of …

New 2013/14 QS World University Rankings

Latest QS world league table is out Full details of the rankings can be found at the QS website. A summary of the world top 10 follows where we find MIT retaining the top spot for a second year and four UK universities remain in the top 10: Global top ten 2013 2012 Institution Country …

20 over 500

Youth isn't everything Last year it was Times Higher Education but this year it is the turn of QS to produce a ranking of newer universities, presumably on the basis that somehow they suffer in the rankings for not having done enough stuff over their limited histories. Unfortunately, this rather discriminates against older institutions which …

More on Latin American rankings

More details on Latin America from the QS rankings A post from some time ago noted the new found enthusiasm in Latin America for rankings. This has been borne out by the publication in 2011 and now 2012 of a specific Latin american league table by QS. The introduction to the table notes that QS …

Giving league tables a bad name

This kind of thing really shouldn't be given any airtime Yes, sad to say it is the 'University Drinking League'. Fortunately it does not deserve to be taken at all seriously given that it is simply self-reported consumption by students. Being the responsible folks that we are we would never stoop to making lazy generalisations, …

African Universities and the Global Rankings

Should African universities be concerned with the global league tables? Inside Higher Ed has a really good piece on African universities and the impact of the international rankings. Essentially the challenge for Africa is that the global league tables use metrics which simply don't favour the continent's institutions: Any observer of higher education in Africa …

The Three World University League Tables of 2012/13

World University League Tables 2012/13 Following the publication of the THE world university rankings, we can put the three world league tables together, and in particular the UK placings, in a handy reference guide. They all offer their own unique take on world university placings. Here they all are: The Times Higher World University Rankings, …

2012/13 QS World University Rankings

Latest QS world league table is out A preview of the 2012/13 QS World University Rankings from John O'Leary, makes clear the impact that the league tables have. Not just on institutions but also on governments: The rankings, which will be published on September 11, are intended primarily to guide international students, their parents and advisors in …

QS World subject ranking – UK universities

New QS world rankings by subject The Guardian has a summary of UK universities' performance in the latest QS subject rankings and it looks like Oxford comes out top Institution name Highest rank Subject University of Oxford 1 Geography History Philosophy University of Cambridge 1 English Language and Literature London Business School 3 Accountancy and …

European Union university ranking plan: the sector holds its breath

Latest news on the most eagerly awaited league table A post just over a year ago noted the development of a new EU ranking method. Now University World News carries a piece about the European Union defying criticism of its university ranking plan. Speaking at a rankings event in April Jordi Curell, director of lifelong …

Pride & Prejudices: Problems with National & International League Tables

Presentation from AUA Conference 2012 Thank you to all who attended this session on 3 April 2012 As promised, here is the presentation:     As mentioned at the presentation, this will be the last time I deliver this session at AUA conference. I've done it too many times but the main reason is that …

Latin American universities get ranking

League tables breaking new ground An earlier post noted the emergence of league tables in Latin America. The Economist recently addressed this issue noting the emergence in particular of Brazil: The São Paulo state universities that are pulling ahead of the pack are doing so with the help of generous state funding, which allows them …

The Three World University League Tables of 2011/12

World University League Tables 2011/12 An earlier post provided links to all of the recently published UK league tables. Now, following the publication of the THE world university rankings, we can put the three world league tables together, and in particular the UK placings, in a handy reference guide. Here they all are: The Times …

QS World University Rankings 2011 – UK Results

QS World University Rankings 2011 - Results for UK universities The UK presence in the QS top 100 for 2011 is largely unchanged although there is some jockeying for position in the top 10 where Cambridge is ranked first for a second consecutive year ahead of Harvard, MIT and Yale and Oxford moves up to …