Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US topped the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking for the twelfth consecutive time this year, followed closely by UK’s Cambridge University and Oxford University. Notably, the National University of Singapore (NUS) moved up three positions from rank 11 last year to become the first Asian university to break into the top 10 clubs.
The rankings in the latest edition, released at 1:30 am on Wednesday, saw minimal changes within the top 10 list. However, significant fluctuations were observed in the lower rankings. For example, IIT Bombay climbed 23 positions to secure a spot among the world’s top 150 universities. Similarly, three Australian universities made significant gains to enter the top 20. The University of Melbourne, ranked 14th (a first for any Australian institution), advanced by 19 positions, while the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney both moved up by 26 and 22 ranks, respectively, to be tied at the 19th position.
Overall, American universities made up half of the top 20 institutions in the world, with UC Berkeley, after a long absence, making a comeback to the best 10 list this time. ETH Zurich retained its title as the best university in Europe for the sixteenth year in a row.
The significant fluctuations this year can be largely attributed to the changes made in the ranking criteria this year. QS introduced new metrics — sustainability, employment outcomes and international research network. To accommodate these new parameters, the ranking agency tweaked the importance assigned to existing criteria. For instance, the weightage assigned to the academic reputation indicator has been lowered from 40% to 30%. Similarly, the emphasis on faculty student ratio has also been decreased. “In contrast, the significance attributed to the employer reputation indicator has risen, upping its contribution from 10% to 15%. These adjustments underscore a reshaping of emphasis within QS’s ranking parameters,” states the QS press release.
In other global trends, African universities demonstrated notable improvement, earning nine new entries on QS’ list. With 45 universities ranked this year, India is the seventh most represented country globally and the third in Asia trailing only Japan (52 universities) and China (Mainland) (71 universities). UK universities showed solid gains mainly due to their cross border collaboration on research projects UK. An impressive 72 out of the total 90 institutions in the rankings table this year were placed higher than last year.
Courtesy : The Indian Express