The QS World University Rankings, founded by Nunzio Quacquarelli in 1990, have become one of the most trusted and influential sources of information for students seeking to study abroad. Every year, QS publishes a list of the top universities globally, widely covered by media outlets like The Guardian in the UK and Chosun Ilbo in South Korea. Since 2010, QS has used its methodology to rank universities, focusing on crucial aspects such as teaching, research, employability, and internationalisation. In the following sections, we will break down the QS University Ranking methodology to help you understand how universities are evaluated and what it takes to reach the top.
QS World University Rankings Methodology
The QS World University Rankings are published annually in June, evaluating 1,418 institutions across 100 locations in the 2023 edition. The methodology, reviewed annually to maintain relevance, encompasses several critical indicators:
Academic Reputation (40%)
Academic reputation is a crucial indicator, as it reflects the views of the global academic community. This measure helps prospective students identify renowned institutions for teaching and research excellence.
- Purpose: Measures academic excellence and the esteem universities hold globally.
- Data Source: Collates over 150,000 academic responses in more than 140 countries.
- Process: Survey data on universities’ reputations based on teaching and research quality is gathered.
- Importance: Reflects the views of the global academic community, making it a significant component of the rankings.
Faculty/Student Ratio (15%)
A low faculty/student ratio typically means smaller class sizes and more personalised student attention. This indicator helps assess the potential for quality interactions and support students receive during their studies.
- Purpose: Indicates the level of staff resources available to students.
- Components: This component evaluates teaching capacity, class size, curriculum development, lab and seminar delivery, and pastoral care.
- Limitations: QS acknowledges these due to the rise of online teaching methods and modern educational practices, which are not fully captured by this metric.
Citations/Faculty (20%)
Citations per faculty member highlight the impact and quality of research conducted at a university. This metric helps prospective students and researchers identify institutions that are leading in innovative and influential research.
- Purpose: Assesses research impact through citations of published work.
- Data Source: Uses data from Scopus (since 2007) and previously from Thomson Reuters (2004-2007).
- Calculation: Total number of citations over five years divided by the number of academic staff.
- Rationale: This study aims to measure the density of research-active staff while reducing the influence of biomedical sciences, which tend to dominate citation counts.
- Faculty Area Normalisation: Introduced in 2015 to ensure a balanced representation across different disciplines, each of QS’s five key Faculty Areas are weighted to account for 20% of the final citations score.
- Challenges: Differences in the scope of Scopus and Thomson Reuters databases can affect citation averages, especially for non-English speaking universities.
Employer Reputation (15%)
Employer reputation is an essential factor for students considering their future careers. High scores in this indicator suggest that graduates from these universities are well-regarded and in demand in the job market.
- Purpose: Gauges graduates’ quality and employability from the employers’ perspective.
- Data Source: Survey approximately 99,000 employers at major companies and organisations globally.
- Significance: Reflects the perceived readiness of graduates for the workforce, making it a crucial factor for prospective students.
- History: Introduced in 2005, it is now integrated into the QS World University Rankings methodology following the discontinuation of the Graduate Employability Rankings in 2021.
Internationalisation (10%)
Internationalisation reflects a university’s global reach and commitment to fostering a diverse academic community. High internationalisation scores indicate a vibrant, multicultural campus life and extensive opportunities for global networking.
- Purpose: Measures the extent of global collaboration and diversity within universities.
- Components: Equally split between the percentage of international students and international staff.
- International Faculty Ratio (5%): Evaluates the ratio of international faculty to total faculty.
- International Student Ratio (5%): Assesses the ratio of international students to total student body.
- Significance: This indicator indicates a university’s global appeal and its efforts to foster an international environment, enhance networking, and cultural exchanges, and provide diverse learning experiences.
Summary Of Key Indicators
- Academic Reputation: Largest component, highlighting academic prestige.
- Faculty/Student Ratio: Traditional measure of teaching resources, though with acknowledged limitations.
- Citations/Faculty: Reflects research impact, adjusted for disciplinary differences.
- Employer Reputation: Measures graduate quality and workforce readiness.
- Internationalisation: Captures global diversity and collaboration within the university.
These indicators provide a comprehensive assessment of university performance, helping students and other stakeholders make informed decisions.
QS World University Ranking Criteria 2024
Starting with its 2024 rankings, QS introduced three new indicators, each contributing 5% to the overall score:
- International Research Network: Evaluates an institution’s capability to establish and maintain global research partnerships and collaborative networks.
- Employment Outcomes: Measures an institution’s success in ensuring high employability for its graduates.
- Sustainability: Assesses an institution’s commitment to demonstrating sustainable practices and existence.
Regional QS World University Rankings Methodology
In addition to the World University Rankings, QS produces regional rankings for the Arab Region, Asia, Latin America, and, most recently, Europe. These editions feature a broader range of universities specific to each region, using modified weightings and additional metrics to reflect regional characteristics. Metrics include exchange students, academic staff with PhDs, and web visibility, leading to different performance outcomes compared to the global rankings.
Arab Region
First published in 2014, this ranking uses ten indicators to focus on the specific challenges and priorities of institutions in the Arab region.
QS World University Rankings, Arab Region: Top 10
| Institution | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Saudi Arabia King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Saudi Arabia King Saud University | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Qatar Qatar University | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Lebanon American University of Beirut | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz University | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates University | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| United Arab Emirates Khalifa University | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 15 | =21 |
| United Arab Emirates American University of Sharjah | 8 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 7 | =21 |
| Jordan University of Jordan | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Oman Sultan Qaboos University | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
Asia
Launched in 2009 in partnership with The Chosun Ilbo, this ranking independently evaluates universities in Asia, including 760 universities in the 2022 edition.
QS World University Rankings, Asia: Top 10
| Institution | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| China Peking University | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Hong Kong University of Hong Kong | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Singapore National University of Singapore | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Singapore Nanyang Technological University | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| China Tsinghua University | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| China Zhejiang University | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 21 |
| China Fudan University | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| South Korea Yonsei University | 8 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 17 |
| South Korea Korea University | 9 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
| Hong Kong Chinese University of Hong Kong | 10 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
Latin America and the Caribbean
Launched in 2011, this ranking now includes Caribbean universities, with the 2024 edition expanding its coverage.
QS World University Rankings, Latin America: Top 10
| Institution | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Brazil Universidade de São Paulo | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Chile Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brazil Universidade Estadual de Campinas | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| México Tecnológico de Monterrey | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Chile Universidad de Chile | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Colombia Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Mexico Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Brazil Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Argentina Universidad de Buenos Aires | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Brazil Universidade Estadual Paulista | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Europe
Launched in 2023, this ranking features 688 institutions from 42 member countries of the Council of Europe.
QS World University Rankings, Europe: Top 10
| Institution | 2024 |
| United Kingdom University of Oxford | 1 |
| Switzerland Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich | 2 |
| United Kingdom University of Cambridge | 3 |
| United Kingdom Imperial College London | 4 |
| United Kingdom University College London | 5 |
| United Kingdom University of Edinburgh | 6 |
| France Université Paris Sciences et Lettres | 7 |
| United Kingdom University of Manchester | 8 |
| Switzerland École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | 9 |
About QS World University Rankings Methodology – Sustainability
In 2022, QS introduced the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability to highlight the growing importance of sustainability in higher education. This ranking provides a resource for students, academics, and policymakers to assess universities’ sustainability performance, using data from surveys and external sources like the World Bank and the United Nations.
Scores determine the rankings in two main categories – Environmental Impact and Social Impact, each subdivided into specific indicators.
Environmental Impact (50%)
| Indicator | Weight | Description |
| Sustainable Institutions | 17.5% | Evaluates institutional strategies and operations aimed at environmental sustainability. |
| Sustainable Education | 20% | Assesses the extent of education on environmental understanding and action. |
| Sustainable Research | 12.5% | Measures research impact in areas aligned with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). |
Social Impact (50%)
| Indicator | Weight | Description |
| Equality | 15% | It focuses on research output that is aligned with SDGs 5 and 10, diversity, and inclusivity. |
| Knowledge Exchange | 10% | Measures domestic and international research collaboration. |
| Impact of Education | 10% | Concerns research output aligned with SDG 4, QS Academic and Alumni surveys, Academic Freedom Index, and student mobility and graduation rates. |
| Employability and Opportunities | 10% | Assesses alumni outcomes and graduate employability. |
| Quality of Life | 5% | Considers data related to health options on campus, Air Quality Index, and well-being scores. |
Understanding the QS World University Rankings methodology provides valuable insights into how universities are assessed globally. By considering factors such as academic reputation, faculty/student ratio, research impact, employability, and internationalisation, along with recent additions like sustainability and employability outcomes, QS offers a comprehensive evaluation of higher education institutions. This helps students, academics, and policymakers make informed decisions and identify top-performing universities worldwide.
FAQs
Q1 What is the QS world university ranking methodology?
Each QS ranking is compiled using a core methodology encompassing key factors such as student experience, university partnerships, research activity, and faculty qualifications.
Q2 Is QS ranking accurate?
The QS World University Rankings evaluate universities through thorough research, expert surveys, and precise data. The ranking process emphasises vital indicators that reflect excellent institutional performance.
Q3 How many criteria are there in the QS World University Rankings?
The QS World University Rankings assess universities using six performance indicators, each with a different weighting in the overall score calculation.
Q4. Does QS World University rankings matter?
The QS rankings are prestigious international assessments of universities’ performance and popularity. They consider factors such as reputation among academics and employers, teaching quality, research citations, and the ratio of international students and faculty.
Q5. Which is better, QS rankings or Times Higher Education rankings?
You can refer to the QS rankings to identify universities well-regarded by companies and academics and with well-paid graduates. Alternatively, THE rankings focus on universities’ research impact and reputation.
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