What is the QS World University Rankings?
The QS World University Rankings 2023 features over 1,400 universities from around the world, the biggest university ranking yet.
Institutions are assessed across six categories (or indicators) to effectively capture university performance – including academic and employer reputation, faculty/student ratio and research citations – to help you make the best decision for your future.
The rankings can give you an idea of teaching quality, student population, employability factors, research and diversity, but they can’t make the choice for you. Further research is recommended to gain a bigger picture of what it’s really like to study at the university’s you’re interested in.
The six indicators that determine the QS World University Ranking 2023 are:
Academic reputation – Accounting for 40 per cent of the overall score, academic reputation looks at the teaching and research quality at the world’s universities. They collate over 130,000 expert opinions from the higher education space, creating the largest survey of academic opinion in the world.
Employer reputation – They know that students want to graduate with the skills and knowledge required for the employment market. They assess how institutions prepare students for successful careers, and which institutions provide the most competent, innovative, and effective graduates.
Faculty/student ratio – This indicator recognises that a high number of academics per student reduces the teaching burden and creates a more supportive student experience. They assess how institutions provide students with meaningful access to lecturers and tutors.
Citations per faculty – They measure university research quality with a citation per faculty metric, taking the total number of academic citations in papers produced by a university in a five-year period.
International student ratio & International faculty ratio – A highly international university creates a number of benefits. It demonstrates the ability to attract quality students and staff from across the world, and it implies a highly global outlook. Strong international institutions provide a multinational environment, building international sympathies and global awareness.