World Top University Rankings 2020

Find out where your university ranks on the global map

Choosing the right university for you is one of the most important things you’ll have to carefully consider when you start planning for your international education journey overseas.

But how can you decide which university is best for you?  In fact, the answer to this question depends on many factors including the university reputation, curriculum, faculty, student-teacher ratio, scope of research, employment opportunities, campus diversity, international exposure, etc.

We know this can get tedious, but you can largely map these factors by looking at the world university rankings, which compare key performance indicators across different universities or schools.

Popular university rankings 2020

Most students planning to go abroad consider these five internationally recognised university rankings. Do note that each university ranking table has been developed using their own ranking system and there are differences across each of the ranking tables

1. Times Higher Education World University Rankings

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is the largest and most diverse global university ranking. Its 2020 ranking edition includes almost 1,400 universities across 92 countries. The influencers under this ranking include teaching (30%), research (30%), citation (30%), industry connections (2.5%), and international outlook (7.5%).

2. QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings enables you to find useful information and compare between around 800 universities in the world.  The QS considers the university’s reputation among other universities (40%), employers (10%), student-teacher ratio (20%), citations-academic staff ratio (20%) and international outlook including students and staff (10%) for its compilation of top universities in the world.

3. Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)

Also known as the Shanghai Ranking, ARWU is based on citation indices of articles (20%), articles in the journals in Nature or Science (20%), highly cited (top 1%) scientists (20%), if an alumnus or alumna of the university is a Nobel laureate (10%), receiving a Nobel prize or a Fields Medal whilst working in the university (20%) and the ratio of the above achievements to number of academic staff (10%). ARWU can be quite beneficial for students going for research or doctoral degrees.

4. CWTS Leiden Ranking

The CWTS Leiden Ranking provides you with insights into the scientific performance of around 1000 universities worldwide. Universities are ranked on the basis of bibliometric statistics as per CWTS Leiden Ranking - citation impact and scientific collaboration. You can study the ranking of a particular institution by selecting the time period, field, country, and your preferred type of indicator.

5. The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities

Unlike the conventional parameters, the Webometrics Ranking system uses the university’s web presence, visibility, transparency (top cited researchers) and excellence of cited papers as its indicators for its ranking. They have ranked 30,000 higher education institutions from more than 200 countries.

Conduct additional research

Rankings should be used together with additional research of each university or school so you can make an informed choice about where to go based on your own preferences. It’s important to note that these tools are not the only measure of how appropriate the university or school may be for you; it is just one of the elements to consider.

How can you use university rankings to shortlist universities?

You can further analyse a university on the basis of country/region, course/program and your preferred subject.

For instance, if you wish to study management, look for universities that rank higher in your preferred field of study. It is quite possible that the university ranking the highest globally may not be the best in its department of management.

Once you have your list of shortlisted universities, dive deeper by studying each of its curriculum, modules offered, faculties, teaching methodologies, culture, campus life, and sustainability.

Are university rankings important?

To an extent - yes! Rankings can help you sort your options; they can also make you aware of universities you may not have otherwise heard of! Each ranking is compiled on the basis of its own list of factors taken into consideration.

To make a well-informed choice, you can always walk in to your nearest IDP office and meet with our international education specialists. Your IDP counsellor can assist in finding the right university for you and help you get where you want to be! Book your free appointment with your IDP Counsellor toady!