QS World University Rankings: Methodology
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The QS World University Rankings is a popular and recognized ranking system that evaluates universities globally based on various performance indicators. Understanding the methodology behind these rankings is essential for students, educators, and institutions, as it provides insights into how universities are assessed and what factors contribute to their standing.
QS World University Rankings: University rankings have become one of the most important elements for students deciding on universities for studying abroad or anywhere in India. Rankings not only help differentiate the best universities from the surplus but also provides students access to additional information and in-depth university analysis through the use of ranking parameters and indicators.
The QS ranking methodology has six indicators that examing four broad categories of an university, research reputation, the learning and teaching environment, research impact, and internationalisation. The QS World University Rankings are acurate and accepted worldwide. As, each of the indicators of QS rankings 2025 is very carefully collated, using a mixture of surveys and data from QS research partners.
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On popular demand from students, three new metrics have recently been added to the QS World University Rankings methodologies in listing universities around the world on a scale of ranks, i.e. International Research Network, Sustainability and Employment Outcomes. With this, let us learn more about the QS World University Ranking Methodologies in detail in this article below.
What is QS Ranking?
Launched in 2004, the QS University Rankings has grown to become one of the most influential university rankings in the world. One of the most trusted university rankings, the group publishes a set of top university rankings every year for the benefit of students. We are going to break down the QS University Ranking methodology for the readers to fully comprehend how one university scores over another and what it takes to be the university on the top. We are going to look at the very popular QS University Rankings methodology and know about the parameters used in the process.
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How are QS Rankings Calculated?
As the name suggests, the QS World University Rankings talk about the top universities in the world for a given year and are one of the most searched rankings online. In QS world ranking, six simple metrics are taken into account that effectively capture university performances and a list of top-performing universities in the world is derived for a particular year. Given below is the QS World University Rankings methodology:
| Parameters |
Weightage |
|---|---|
| Academic Reputation |
40% |
| Employer Reputation |
10% |
| Faculty/Student Ratio |
20% |
| Citations per faculty |
20% |
| International Faculty Ratio /International Student Ratio |
10% |
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Details on Each Ranking Parameter of the QS World University Rankings
Let us study each parameter closely.
Academic Reputation
The highest weightage to determine the best university in the world is allocated to the academic reputation of the university. In doing so, QS University Rankings takes into account the expert opinion of over 130,000 individuals who belong in the higher education space and are involved with teaching and research quality at world universities.
Employer Reputation
University education has always boiled down to the effectiveness of being eligible for the job market. Hence, employment reputation looks at how successful a university is in providing this preparedness to the student for the employment market. The QS Employer Survey asks employees to identify institutions from which they source the most capable, effective, and innovative graduates.
Faculty/Student Ratio
For students, teaching quality is one of the most important determinants when choosing universities. Though it is extremely difficult to measure the same, however, QS University Rankings, believes that outlining the Faculty/Student Ratio provides an alternative to measuring teaching quality. This particular parameter takes into account the number of tutors or teaching professionals the institution is able to provide to students, as a higher number of faculty members per student would greatly unburden each individual academic.
Citations per Faculty
If teaching is important to establish university credentials so is research output. At QS University Rankings, university research quality is measured using the Citations per Faculty metric. The process includes taking the total number of citations received by all papers produced by a university across a five-year period by the number of faculty members at that institution.
International Faculty Ratio /International Student Ratio
A highly recommended university comes with advantages, above all, it demonstrates the ability to attract international students and faculty from across the world, which suggests the strong international reputation the university enjoys. This particular parameter takes into account the global outlook that is essential for a university operating in the global education sector. Other factors that are calculated here are providing students with a multinational environment, exchange of best practices, and bringing about global awareness. The International Faculty Ratio and the International Student Ratio contribute to 5% each to the total weightage of the QS World University Ranking.
This is a very modest understanding of the methodology of the QS University Rankings for our readers for top universities. Students who are looking for an in-depth analysis can always refer to the official website or get in touch with us in the comments below for further guidance.
QS World University Ranking 2025
One can check the list of top universities abroad, as per the QS World University Rankings 2025:
| Top University |
QS World University Rankings 2025 |
Overall Score |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, United States |
#1 |
100 |
| London, United Kingdom |
#2 |
98.5 |
| Oxford, United Kingdom |
#3 |
96.9 |
| Cambridge, United States |
#4 |
96.8 |
| Cambridge, United Kingdom |
#5 |
96.7 |
| Stanford, United States |
#6 |
96.1 |
| Zürich, Switzerland |
#7 | 93.9 |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore, Singapore |
#8 | 93.7 |
| University College London (UCL) London, United Kingdom |
#9 |
91.6 |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Pasadena, United States |
#10 |
90.9 |
| Philadelphia, United States |
#11 |
90.3 |
| University of California, Berkeley (UCB) Berkeley, USA |
#12 |
90.1 |
| Parkville, Australia |
#13 |
88.9 |
| Peking University Beijing, China (Mainland) |
#14 |
88.5 |
| Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore |
#15 |
88.4 |
| Ithaca, United States |
#16 |
87.9 |
| Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR |
#17 |
87.6 |
| Sydney, Australia |
#18 |
87.3 |
| The University of New South Whales (UNSW Sydney) Kensington, Australia |
#19 |
87.1 |
| Tsinghua University Beijing, China (Mainland) |
#20 |
86.5 |
| Chicago, United States |
#21 |
86.2 |
| Princeton, United States |
#22 |
85.5 |
| New Haven, United States |
#23 |
85.2 |
| Universite PSL Paris, France |
#24 |
84.7 |
| Toronto, Canada |
#25 |
84.1 |
| EPFL – École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland |
#26 |
83.5 |
| Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
#27 |
83.3 |
| Technical University of Munich Munich, Germany |
#28 |
83.2 |
| Montreal, Canada |
#29 |
83 |
| Australian National University (ANU) Canberra, Australia |
#30 |
82.4 |
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QS World University Rankings Methodology FAQs
Q. How are QS rankings calculated?
A. For the QS World University Rankings, the institutes are assessed over six categories or indicators in order to capture the performance. The indicators that determine the QS World University rankings are citations per faculty, academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty / student ratio, and international student ratio & international faculty ratio.
Q. List the weightage of each indicator in the QS World University Rankings.
A. The QS World University rankings indicators include academic reputation which has a 40% weightage, employer reputation has a 10% weightage, faculty student ratio and citations per faculty have a 20% weightage each, and international faculty ratio / international student ratio has a 10% weightage.
Q. Does QS World University rankings matter?
A. The QS rankings are one of the most prestigious international rankings that assess the performance and popularity of institutions worldwide. Every year, the rankings are assigned to the institutes as per a variety of factors. In the rankings, the university’s reputation is based on the opinions of higher education professionals, companies that hire graduates, the quality of teaching, number of times the research articles were acknowledged, as well as the ratio of international students and faculty at universities.
Q. Which is the most reliable university ranking system?
A. The three longest established and most influential global rankings are produced by Quacquarelli Symonds, Times Higher Education, and Shanghai Ranking Consultancy (ARWU). The QS World University Rankings are the most comprehensive ranking of its kind in the market. It shines a light on institutes from across the world and enables motivated people anywhere in the world to fulfill their potential through international mobility, educational achievement, and career development.
Q. Which is better QS rankings or Times Higher Education rankings?
A. You can refer to the QS rankings if you would like to identify universities that are well-regarded by companies and other academics. Graduates of these universities are paid well after graduating. On the other hand, THE rankings can be used to find the top universities on the basis of their research impact and their reputation.
Q: Â Is university of West of Scotland good for international students?
The University of the West of Scotland has five modern and diverse campuses in United Kingdom. The University has welcomed more than 3,000 international students which are representing 1/3 of the globe. They also have 130 European partners who are actively in global study and exchange options through the Commonwealth universities programmes. The University also offers study abroad opportunities for UWS who are eligible for the same and also have more than 20 transnational education partners worldwide which helps them deliver UWS Bachelors and Masters Degrees around the world.
Q: Â How can I get admission in the University of Manchester?
The application process at the University of Manchester may vary depending on the course and level of study. However, here is the application process for UG and PG courses:
The Undergraduate Application Process:
Step 1: You can apply through the UCAS common application portal.
Step 2: Go to the website and select the course you are interested in.
Step 3: Ensure you meet the Entry requirements (Academic qualifications, English proficiency, etc.
Step 4: Once you decide on the course, submit documents such as SOP, Transcripts and personal statements.
Check out: tips to improve your SOP.
Step 5: You can track the application's progress through your given credentials by UCAS.
Step 6: Once the applicant submits the application to UCAS, it forwards to the University, and the admission teams carefully analyse the application document.
Step 7: The university will send you an offer letter once selected. Hence keep checking your UCAS portal for your application status.
The Postgraduate application process:
Step 1: Select the postgraduate course you are interested in from the University of Manchester.\
Step 2: Ensure you meet the entry requirements for the chosen program, as they vary depending on the course.
Step 3: Complete the online application by providing your personal information.
Step 4: Upload the required documents, such as Academic transcripts and proof of English language proficiency ( TOEFL/ IELTS). experience in your fields and references (depending on the course). You also may require Two LORs depending on the course.
To make your admission better, check out the following: How Admission Officers Evaluate your application.
Step 5: If your application is successful, you will receive an offer from the University of Manchester.
Q: Â Does the University of Essex require IELTS?
International students whose native language is not English must meet the University of Essex English language requirements to get admission. The university accepts IELTS scores as proof of English language proficiency. Mentioned below are the IELTS scores required for UG and PG admission at the university:
English Language Test | Score |
|---|---|
IELTS | Overall score of 5.5 to 8.0 with minimum of 5.5 to 7.5 in each section |
The university also accepts the score of other English language tests such as TOEFL and PTE for admission to undergraduate and graduate programs:
English Language Test | Score |
TOEFL iBT | Overall score of 72 to 114 |
PTE | Overall score of 59 to 84 with minimum of 59 to 80 in each section |
Also read: Required IELTS Score for UK Universities
Q: Â How to prepare for UK 10th board exam 2025?
Those who are preparing for the UK Class 10 exam 2025 are recommended to follow the tips below.
- Know the exam pattern
- Make a proper time table as per the syllabus
- Solve previous year question papers
- Make short notes of important formulas and theorems
- Revise regularly
- Figure out weaker areas and learn them well
With proper planning and hard work, students can easily clear the UK 10th board exam.
Q: Â What is University of Wales, Trinity Saint famous for?
University of Wales, Trinity Saint (UWTSD) was founded in 2010, is a public institution for higher education and research at multiple locations. It was set up under the 1828 royal charter of Lampeter, the institution was the result of the merger between Trinity University College and the University of Wales. The institution merged with the Swansea Metropolitan University in 2013.
- Top Ranked University: The UWTSD is not ranked by any major ranking body, however as per the university ranking given on the official website of the university, it is ranked among:
- #1st in Wales and UK Top 5 Film Production and Photography
- #1st in Wales and UK Top 5 Fashion and Textiles
- #1st in Wales and UK Top 20 Graphic Design
- #1st in Wales and UK Top 5 Education
- #1st in Wales and UK Top 20 Sports Science
- #1st in Wales and UK Top 20 Mechanical Engineering
- #1st in Wales for Fine Arts
- Variety of Courses: UWTSD offers more than 300 programs at various levels including undergraduate, postgraduate degrees as well as multiple online courses.
- Highly distinguished and learned faculties: the faculty at UWTSD is highly learned and distinguished which enables students to be the best in their field of study.
- High Placements: According to Graduate Outcome data 2019-2020 quoted by the UWTSD, more than 95% of its graduates were found to be employed within 15 Months of graduation. The average salary of a graduate is not explicitly released by UWTSD, however, as per some unofficial sources the average salary of the graduates of UWTSD is approximately INR 30-35L. with the highest salary being reported as high as INR 66.5L for jobs in Financial Services.
Q: Â Why indian students choose to study at Hult International Business School - UK?
Indian students choose to study at Hult International Business School in the UK for several reasons, including its highly ranked programs, global outlook, and career support. Hult offers a range of full-time master’s degrees, immersive bachelor's programs, and MBA options that prepare students to excel in the global job market. The school is the largest and top-ranked global business school, providing students with an incomparable universal outlook. Additionally, Hult's focus on experiential learning, extensive career support, and the opportunity to study at multiple campuses around the world are attractive to Indian students seeking a global business education. Furthermore, the school's emphasis on innovation and meeting the needs of students and employers may also contribute to its appeal to Indian students
Q: Â What rank is Wolverhampton University in UK?
The University of Wolverhampton is one of the best universities in the United Kingdom. The university is consistently ranked among the best universities nationally and globally. For nearly 200 years, the University of Wolverhampton has been consistently providing a quality of education to students and producing highly skilled graduates. The national rankings of the University of Wolverhampton are given below:
| Ranking Body | Ranking |
|---|---|
| The Guardian University Guide 2024 | #101 |
| The Complete University Guide 2024 | #117 |
Q: Â How to download UK Board 12th date sheet 2024?
Following are the steps to download the UK 12th date sheet 2024.
- Open the Uttarakhand Board's official website at ubse.uk.gov.in
- Click on 'Examination Scheme' available on the homepage
- A new window will appear on the screen containing a link of the UK Board 12th date sheet 2024
- Click the link and download the Uttarakhand 12th date sheet 2024
Raushan Kumar is a skilled writer and a Study Abroad Expert in the Editorial Team at Shiksha. He oversees various aspects of studying abroad, including educational opportunities, entrance exams, colleges, latest new... Read Full Bio
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