QS World University Rankings
Nunzio Quacquarelli founded the company that would become Quacquarelli Symonds in 1990. The firm began by providing information and advice to students looking to study abroad. A perceived need for an international ranking of universities emerged in December 2003 during a review of university-industry collaboration in Great Britain. Richard Lambert wrote this review for HM Treasury, the finance ministry of the United Kingdom. His report recommended world university rankings to help gauge the global standing of British institutions. In 2004, QS partnered with Times Higher Education magazine to launch the first global university rankings. This collaboration produced the THE-QS World University Rankings. The two organizations parted ways in 2009 to produce independent rankings. QS released its own methodology starting in September 2010. Jessica Turner now serves as the chief executive officer responsible for operations and strategy. Nunzio Quacquarelli was appointed president of the company in 2022.
The 2023 edition featured 1418 institutions across 100 locations. Academic reputation accounts for 40% of the overall score. This indicator collates more than 150,000 responses from academics in more than 140 countries and locations. Faculty/student ratio represents 15% of a university's score. It measures staff resources afforded to students including teaching capacity and class size. Citations per faculty make up 20% of the total weightage. QS uses data from Scopus which is part of Elsevier since 2007. This approach divides the total number of citations for a five-year period by the number of academics. Employer reputation surveys account for another 15% of the institution's overall score. These surveys include some 99,000 employers at companies that hire graduates on a significant or global scale. Internationalization contributes the final 10% through international student and staff percentages. Beginning with its 2024 rankings, three new indicators each account for 5% of the total weightage. These include International Research Network, Employment Outcomes, and Sustainability metrics.
QS produces four regional rankings tables including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and the Arab Region. The first edition of the QS World University Rankings: Asia launched in 2009 in partnership with The Chosun Ilbo newspaper in Korea. The 15th edition released in 2022 ranked 760 universities based on the United Nations' M49 Standard. The QS Arab Region University Rankings were first published in 2014 to highlight leading institutions in that region. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals held the top spot in several recent editions. The QS World University Rankings: Latin America launched in 2011 and expanded to include Caribbean universities by 2024. Universidade de São Paulo frequently appears near the top of these regional lists. In 2023, QS launched the QS World University Rankings: Europe showcasing 688 institutions from 42 member countries of the Council of Europe. The QS Best Student Cities rankings began in 2012 as an annual comparison of cities around the world. London has consistently ranked number one since the inception of this series. The QS Global MBA Rankings provide a comprehensive list of the best MBA programmes worldwide. These business school rankings consider factors such as reputation, employability, and course content.
The Guardian referred to the QS World University Rankings as the most authoritative of their kind in September 2015. Critics argue that the reputation surveys have received severe criticism for low response rates between 2% and 8%. Peter Wills from the University of Auckland wrote about the unreliability of citation databases used in the rankings. David Blanchflower labeled the rankings complete rubbish in a New Statesman article published in September 2011. Philip Altbach stated that the QS World University Rankings are the most problematical among international tables. Simon Marginson refused to discuss the ranking because the methodology is not sufficiently robust to provide data valid as social science. Research published by the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley raised concerns in 2021. This research suggested institutions that employ QS consulting services might be rewarded with improved rankings. Dzulkifli Abdul Razak questioned the reliability following an independent report from the United Nations University's International Institute for Global Health. The Independent Expert Group convened by UNU-IIGH proved how universities buying products from QS have better chances of moving up in those rankings.
In 2019, over 360 events were hosted attended by 265,000 candidates across 100 cities in 50 countries. The World MBA Tour stands as the world's largest series of international business school fairs. More than 60,000 candidates attend these tours held in 100 cities across 50 countries. QS World MBA Premium invites only business schools ranked in the top 200 internationally. The World Grad School Tour focuses on specialized master's degrees and PhDs in Finance, Accounting, Management and Economics. QS Connect MBA offers pre-arranged 1-to-1 interviews based on pre-submitted CVs and academic profiles. QS Stars provides an auditing service separate from the main rankings. About 400 institutions had opted for this evaluation system as of early 2018. Fees to participate reached $9,850 for the initial audit plus an annual license fee of $6,850 in 2012. By 2018, about 20 different universities worldwide received the maximum possible Five Star Plus rating. This service evaluates universities according to about 50 different indicators including Teaching, Employability, Research, and Internationalization.
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Common questions
When did Nunzio Quacquarelli found the company that became Quacquarelli Symonds?
Nunzio Quacquarelli founded the company in 1990. The firm began by providing information and advice to students looking to study abroad.
What percentage of the QS World University Rankings score comes from academic reputation?
Academic reputation accounts for 40% of the overall score. This indicator collates more than 150,000 responses from academics in more than 140 countries and locations.
Which university held the top spot in the QS Arab Region University Rankings?
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals held the top spot in several recent editions. The QS Arab Region University Rankings were first published in 2014 to highlight leading institutions in that region.
Who criticized the QS World University Rankings as complete rubbish in September 2011?
David Blanchflower labeled the rankings complete rubbish in a New Statesman article published on the 1st of September 2011. Critics argue that the reputation surveys have received severe criticism for low response rates between 2% and 8%.
How many events did QS host in 2019 across how many cities and countries?
In 2019, over 360 events were hosted attended by 265,000 candidates across 100 cities in 50 countries. The World MBA Tour stands as the world's largest series of international business school fairs.