In the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the 2024 QS World Universities Rankings, multiple Australian universities have featured prominently. What are the actual factors that contribute to a university’s position in the competitive list, and how do they differ between the two ranking systems? Keep reading to find out!
2024 Australian Universities Ranking Highlights
According to THE, here are some changes to Australian Universities Ranking in 2024:
- University of Melbourne is the highest-ranked Australian institution, placed at 37th globally, down from 34th in 2023.
- Monash University follows, ranked 54th globally, having dropped from 44th in the previous year.
- University of Sydney is 60th globally, falling from a tie at 54th place in 2023.
- Australian National University stands at 67th, down from 62nd.
- University of Queensland ranks 70th, a significant drop from 53rd.
- UNSW Sydney is positioned at 84th, previously 71st in 2023.
How University Rankings Are Determined
The Times Higher Education (THE) and QS World University Rankings are two of the most prominent global university ranking systems. While both aim to assess and compare universities worldwide, they use different methodologies and metrics. Here is an overview about the difference in their metric systems:
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
THE World University Rankings are based on five broad areas with a total of 18 performance indicators under 5 different categories:
- Teaching (30%):
- Reputation survey (15%)
- Staff-to-student ratio (4.5%)
- Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio (2.25%)
- Doctorates awarded per academic staff (6%)
- Institutional income (2.25%)
- Research (30%):
- Reputation survey (18%)
- Research income (6%)
- Research productivity (6%)
- Citations (Research Influence) (30%):
- Citation impact (30%)
- International Outlook (7.5%):
- Proportion of international students (2.5%)
- Proportion of international staff (2.5%)
- International collaboration (2.5%)
- Industry Income (2.5%):
- Industry income (2.5%).
QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings use six metrics, with a greater emphasis on reputation and internationalisation:
- Academic Reputation (40%):
- Based on a global survey of academics
- Employer Reputation (10%):
- Based on a global survey of employers
- Faculty/Student Ratio (20%):
- Number of academic staff relative to students
- Citations per Faculty (20%):
- Research impact, measured by the number of citations per faculty member
- International Faculty Ratio (5%):
- Proportion of international academic staff
- International Student Ratio (5%):
- Proportion of international students.
Key Differences in QS and THE University Ranking Metrics
Reputation Weight
QS places a heavier emphasis on reputation surveys (50% combined for academic and employer reputation) compared to THE (30% for teaching and research reputation combined).
Research Impact
THE allocates a significant portion to citations (30%), whereas QS assigns 20% to citations per faculty.
Teaching and Learning Environment
THE includes several indicators related to teaching and learning (30%), while QS focuses on the faculty/student ratio (20%).
International Outlook
Both rankings consider international students and staff, but THE also includes international collaboration as a metric.
Industry Income
THE includes industry income (2.5%) as a measure of knowledge transfer, which is not considered in QS rankings.
These differences reflect the varying priorities and methodologies of each ranking system, leading to sometimes divergent results and interpretations of university performance. Understanding these metrics can provide a clearer picture of what factors influence a university’s global standing and how they can improve or maintain their rankings.
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