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'{{Infobox Magazine |title = QS World University Rankings |image_file = QS World University Rankings Logo.svg |editor = Ben Sowter (Head of Research) |staff_writer = Craig O'Callaghan |frequency = Annual |category = [[Higher education]] |publisher = [[Quacquarelli Symonds|Quacquarelli Symonds Limited]] |firstdate = 2004 (in partnership with ''[[Times Higher Education|THE]]'')<br />2010 (on its own) |country = [[UK]] |language = [[English language|English]] |website = {{url|http://www.topuniversities.com/}} }} '''''QS World University Rankings''''' is an annual publication of [[university rankings]] by [[Quacquarelli Symonds|Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)]]. Previously known as ''[[Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings]]'', the publisher had collaborated with ''[[Times Higher Education]]'' (THE) magazine to publish its international league tables from 2004 to 2009 before both started to announce their own versions. QS then chose to continue using the pre-existing methodology while ''Times Higher Education'' adopted a new methodology to create [[Times Higher Education World University Rankings|their rankings]]. The QS system now comprises the global overall and subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the study of 48 different subjects and five composite faculty areas), alongside five independent regional tables (Asia, Latin America, Emerging Europe and Central Asia, the Arab Region, and [[BRICS]]).<ref name=vs>{{cite web|title=Asian University Rankings - QS Asian University Rankings vs. QS World University Rankings™|url=http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/qs-ur-asia/|quote=The methodology differs somewhat from that used for the QS World University Rankings...|access-date=2013-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606123045/http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/qs-ur-asia/|archive-date=2013-06-06|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Being the only international ranking to have received International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approval,<ref>{{cite web|title=IREG Ranking Audit|url=http://ireg-observatory.org/en/information|website=IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence|publisher=International Ranking Expert Group (IREG)|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029232754/http://ireg-observatory.org/en/information|archive-date=2016-10-29|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> the QS ranking is viewed as one of the three most-widely read university rankings in the world, along with ''[[Academic Ranking of World Universities]]'' and ''[[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]]''.<ref name="thetelegraph">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/9584155/University-rankings-which-world-university-rankings-should-we-trust.html|title=University rankings: which world university rankings should we trust?|publisher=The Telegraph|date=2015|accessdate=27 January 2015|quote=It is a remarkably stable list, relying on long-term factors such as the number of Nobel Prize-winners a university has produced, and number of articles published in Nature and Science journals. But with this narrow focus comes drawbacks. China's priority was for its universities to "catch up" on hard scientific research. So if you're looking for raw research power, it's the list for you. If you're a humanities student, or more interested in teaching quality? Not so much.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126122001/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/9584155/University-rankings-which-world-university-rankings-should-we-trust.html|archive-date=2015-01-26|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2010/0916/New-world-university-ranking-puts-Harvard-back-on-top|title=New world university ranking puts Harvard back on top|author=Ariel Zirulnick|publisher=The Christian Science Monitor|quote=Those two, as well as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, produce the most influential international university rankings out there|access-date=2012-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104052740/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2010/0916/New-world-university-ranking-puts-Harvard-back-on-top|archive-date=2013-11-04|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref name="edmont">{{cite news|title=Top schools don't always get top marks |author=Indira Samarasekera & Carl Amrhein |publisher=The Edmonton Journal |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/schools+always+marks/3560240/story.html |quote=There are currently three major international rankings that receive widespread commentary: The Academic World Ranking of Universities, the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education Rankings. |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003203348/http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/schools+always+marks/3560240/story.html |archivedate=October 3, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/11/11/altbach|title=The State of the Rankings|publisher=Inside Higher Ed|author=Philip G. Altbach|date=11 November 2010|accessdate=27 January 2015|quote=The major international rankings have appeared in recent months — the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS World University Rankings, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE).|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219200436/https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/11/11/altbach|archive-date=2014-12-19|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> However, it has been criticized for its overreliance on subjective indicators and reputation surveys, which tend to fluctuate over the years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172958/strength-and-weakness-varsity-rankings|title=Strength and weakness of varsity rankings|date=2016-09-14|work=NST Online|access-date=2018-03-29|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330143722/https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172958/strength-and-weakness-varsity-rankings|archive-date=2018-03-30|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/11/11/state-rankings|title=The State of the Rankings {{!}} Inside Higher Ed|access-date=2018-03-29|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711021948/https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/11/11/state-rankings|archive-date=2018-07-11|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref name="Scientometrics" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/29/methodology-qs-rankings-comes-under-scrutiny|title=Methodology of QS rankings comes under scrutiny|website=www.insidehighered.com|access-date=2016-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701190517/https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/29/methodology-qs-rankings-comes-under-scrutiny|archive-date=2016-07-01|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130626160718267|title=Competition and controversy in global rankings - University World News|website=www.universityworldnews.com|access-date=2016-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505020907/http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130626160718267|archive-date=2016-05-05|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Concern also exists regarding the global consistency and integrity of the data used to generate QS ranking results.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Hepi_International-university-rankings-For-good-or-for-ill-REPORT-89-10_12_16_Screen.pdf|title=International university rankings: For good or ill?|last=Bekhradnia|first=Bahram|date=|website=Higher Education Policy Institute|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215055236/http://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Hepi_International-university-rankings-For-good-or-for-ill-REPORT-89-10_12_16_Screen.pdf|archive-date=2017-02-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Academic-Ethics-To-Rank-or/240619|title=Academic Ethics: To Rank or Not to Rank?|date=2017-07-12|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=2018-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330143429/https://www.chronicle.com/article/Academic-Ethics-To-Rank-or/240619|archive-date=2018-03-30|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2017/06/09/qs-ranking-downright-shady-and-unethical/|title=QS ranking downright shady and unethical|date=2017-06-09|work=The Online Citizen|access-date=2018-03-29|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330143657/https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2017/06/09/qs-ranking-downright-shady-and-unethical/|archive-date=2018-03-30|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> ==History== A perceived need for an international ranking of universities for UK purposes was highlighted in December 2003 in [[Richard Lambert]]'s review of university-industry collaboration in Britain<ref>[http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/lambert_review_business_university_collab.htm Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019130440/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/lambert_review_business_university_collab.htm |date=October 19, 2011 }} ([http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110402/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/lambert_review_business_university_collab.htm since archived])</ref> for [[HM Treasury]], the finance ministry of the United Kingdom. Amongst its recommendations were world university rankings, which Lambert said would help the UK to gauge the global standing of its universities. The idea for the rankings was credited in Ben Wildavsky's book, ''The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World'',<ref>Princeton University Press, 2010</ref> to then-editor of ''[[Times Higher Education]]'' (''THE''), [[John O'Leary (journalist)|John O'Leary]]. ''THE'' chose to partner with educational and careers advice company [[Quacquarelli Symonds]] (QS) to supply the data, appointing Martin Ince,<ref name="Martin Ince Communications">{{cite web|url=http://www.martinince.eu|title=Martin Ince Communications|work=Martin Ince Communications|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220114549/http://www.martinince.eu/|archive-date=2014-12-20|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> formerly deputy editor and later a contractor to ''THE'', to manage the project. Between 2004 and 2009, QS produced the rankings in partnership with ''THE''. In 2009, ''THE'' announced they would produce their own rankings, the [[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]], in partnership with [[Thomson Reuters]]. ''THE'' cited an asserted weakness in the methodology of the original rankings,<ref>{{cite web |last=Mroz |first=Ann |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=408968&c=1 |title=Leader: Only the best for the best |publisher=Times Higher Education |date= |accessdate=2010-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807065437/http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=408968&c=1 |archive-date=2010-08-07 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> as well as a perceived favoritism in the existing methodology for science over the humanities,<ref>{{cite web |last=Baty |first=Phil |url=http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/03/15/baty |title=Views: Ranking Confession |publisher=Inside Higher Ed |date=2010-09-10 |accessdate=2010-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715141223/http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/03/15/baty |archive-date=2010-07-15 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> as two of the key reasons for the decision to split with QS. QS retained intellectual property in the prior rankings and the methodology used to compile them{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} and continues to produce rankings based on that methodology, which are now called the QS World University Rankings.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://chronicle.com/article/Times-Higher-Education/124455/?sid=at | first=Aisha | last=Labi | journal=The Chronicle of Higher Education | location=London, UK | title=Times Higher Education Releases New Rankings, but Will They Appease Skeptics? | date=2010-09-15| accessdate=2010-09-16}}</ref> ''THE'' created a new methodology with Thomson Reuters, and published the first [[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]] in September 2010. ==Global rankings== ===Overall=== ====Methodology==== {|style="text-align:center; float:left; margin-right:2em;" class="wikitable" |- |+ Methodology of QS World University Rankings<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/world-university-rankings/qs-world-university-rankings-methodology?page=1|title=QS World University Rankings: Methodology|date=2014|accessdate=29 April 2015|publisher=QS (Quacquarelli Symonds)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429184540/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/world-university-rankings/qs-world-university-rankings-methodology?page=1|archive-date=2015-04-29|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> |- ! Indicator !! Weighting !! Elaboration |- |Academic peer review|| *40% ||Based on an internal global academic survey |- |Faculty/Student ratio|| * 20% || A measurement of teaching commitment |- |Citations per faculty || *20% ||A measurement of research impact |- |Employer reputation|| *10% || Based on a survey on graduate employers |- |International student ratio|| *5% || A measurement of the diversity of the student community |- |International staff ratio|| * 5% |A measurement of the diversity of the academic staff |} QS publishes the rankings results in the world's media and has entered into partnerships with a number of outlets, including [[The Guardian]] in the United Kingdom, and [[Chosun Ilbo]] in Korea. The first rankings produced by QS independently of THE, and using QS's consistent and original methodology, were released on September 8, 2010, with the second appearing on September 6, 2011. QS designed its rankings in order to assess performance according to what it believes to be key aspects of a university's mission: teaching, research, nurturing employability, and internationalisation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msmbainusa.com/articles/life-in-usa/5-parameters-related-to-global-university-ranking/|title=MS and MBA in USA|work=MS MBA in USA|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418142816/http://www.msmbainusa.com/articles/life-in-usa/5-parameters-related-to-global-university-ranking/|archive-date=2015-04-18|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> '''Academic peer review''' This is the most controversial part of the methodology{{weasel inline|date=February 2016}}{{Citation needed|date=February 2016}}. Using a combination of purchased mailing lists and applications and suggestions, this survey asks active academicians across the world about the top universities in their specialist fields. QS has published the job titles and geographical distribution of the participants.<ref name=QC2012/> The 2017/18 rankings made use of responses from 75,015 people from over 140 nations for its Academic Reputation indicator, including votes from the previous five years rolled forward provided there was no more recent information available from the same individual. Participants can nominate up to 30 universities but are not able to vote for their own. They tend to nominate a median of about 20, which means that this survey includes over 500,000 data points. The average respondent possesses 20.4 years of academic experience, while 81% of respondents have over a decade of experience in the academic world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iu.qs.com/academic-survey-responses/|title=QS Intelligence Unit - 2018 Academic Survey Responses|website=www.iu.qs.com|accessdate=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715122214/http://www.iu.qs.com/academic-survey-responses/|archive-date=2017-07-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref name=QC2012>{{cite web|url=http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/world-university-rankings/2011-academic-survey-responses/ |title=2011 Academic Survey Responses |accessdate=12 September 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206024212/http://www.iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/world-university-rankings/2011-academic-survey-responses/ |archivedate=February 6, 2012 }}</ref> In 2004, when the rankings first appeared, academic peer review accounted for half of a university's possible score. In 2005, its share was cut to 40 per cent because of the introduction of the Employer Reputation Survey. '''Faculty student ratio''' This indicator accounts for 20 per cent of a university's possible score in the rankings. It is a classic measure used in various ranking systems as a proxy for teaching commitment, but QS has admitted that it is less than satisfactory.<ref>[http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/rankings-indicators/methodology-faculty-student/ QS Intelligence Unit | Faculty Student Ratio] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012150310/http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/rankings-indicators/methodology-faculty-student/ |date=October 12, 2011 }}. Iu.qs.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref> '''Citations per faculty''' Citations of published research are among the most widely used inputs to national and global university rankings. The QS World University Rankings used citations data from Thomson (now Thomson Reuters) from 2004 to 2007, and since then has used data from Scopus, part of Elsevier. The total number of citations for a five-year period is divided by the number of academics in a university to yield the score for this measure, which accounts for 20 per cent of a university's possible score in the Rankings. QS has explained that it uses this approach, rather than the citations per paper preferred for other systems, because it reduces the effect of biomedical science on the overall picture – bio-medicine has a ferocious "[[publish or perish]]" culture. Instead QS attempts to measure the density of research-active staff at each institution. But issues still remain about the use of citations in ranking systems, especially the fact that the arts and humanities generate comparatively few citations.<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/rankings-indicators/methodology-citations-per-faculty/ QS Intelligence Unit | Citations per Faculty] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028174836/http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/rankings-indicators/methodology-citations-per-faculty/ |date=October 28, 2011 }}. Iu.qs.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref> However, since 2015, QS have made methodological enhancements designed to remove the advantage institutions specializing in the Natural Sciences or Medicine previously received. This enhancement is termed faculty area normalization, and ensures that an institution's citations count in each of QS's five key Faculty Areas is weighted to account for 20% of the final citations score.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://content.qs.com/qsiu/Faculty_Area_Normalization_-_Technical_Explanation.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911063143/http://content.qs.com/qsiu/Faculty_Area_Normalization_-_Technical_Explanation.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-11 |dead-url=bot: unknown |df= }}</ref> QS has conceded the presence of some data collection errors regarding citations per faculty in previous years' rankings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rankingwatch.blogspot.com/2007/11/another-kenan-flagler-case-of.html|title=University Ranking Watch|author=Richard Holmes|publisher=|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316031626/http://rankingwatch.blogspot.com/2007/11/another-kenan-flagler-case-of.html|archive-date=2015-03-16|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> One interesting issue is the difference between the Scopus and Thomson Reuters databases. For major world universities, the two systems capture more or less the same publications and citations. For less mainstream institutions, Scopus has more non-English language and smaller-circulation journals in its database. But as the papers there are less heavily cited, this can also mean fewer citations per paper for the universities that publish in them.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> This area has been criticized for undermining universities which do not use English as their primary language.<ref>"[http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Publications_homepage_list/Global_University_Rankings_and_Their_Impact.sflb.ashx Global university rankings and their impact] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826181934/http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Publications_homepage_list/Global_University_Rankings_and_Their_Impact.sflb.ashx |date=2012-08-26 }},". "European University Association". Retrieved 3, September, 2012</ref> Citations and publications in a language different from English are harder to come across. The English language is the most internationalized language and therefore is also the most popular when citing. '''Employer review''' This part of the ranking is obtained by a similar method to the Academic Peer Review, except that it samples recruiters who hire graduates on a global or significant national scale. The numbers are smaller – 40,455 responses from over 130 countries in the 2016 Rankings – and are used to produce 10 per cent of any university's possible score. This survey was introduced in 2005 in the belief that employers track graduate quality, making this a barometer of teaching quality, a famously problematic thing to measure. University standing here is of special interest to potential students, and acknowledging this was the impetus behind the inaugural QS Graduate Employability Rankings, published in November 2015.<ref>[http://www.iu.qs.com/employer-survey-responses/ QS Intelligence Unit | Employer Reputation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824072517/http://www.iu.qs.com/employer-survey-responses/ |date=August 24, 2016 }}. Retrieved on 2018-05-03.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/ger/|title=QS Intelligence Unit - QS Graduate Employability Rankings|website=www.iu.qs.com|accessdate=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712065115/http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/ger/|archive-date=2017-07-12|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> '''International orientation''' The final ten per cent of a university's possible score is derived from measures intended to capture their internationalism: five percent from their percentage of international students, and another five percent from their percentage of international staff. This is of interest partly because it shows whether a university is putting effort into being global, but also because it tells us whether it is taken seriously enough by students and academics around the world for them to want to be there.<ref>[http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/rankings-indicators/methodology-international/ QS Intelligence Unit | International Indicators] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024033150/http://iu.qs.com/projects-and-services/rankings-indicators/methodology-international/ |date=October 24, 2011 }}. Iu.qs.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref> ==== Reception ==== In September 2015, both The Guardian and The Daily Mail referred to the QS World University Rankings as "the most authoritative of their kind".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Weale|first1=Sally|title=British universities slip down in global rankings|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/15/british-universities-slip-downing-global-rankings|website=The Guardian|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910151235/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/15/british-universities-slip-downing-global-rankings|archive-date=2016-09-10|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Robinson|first1=Julian|title=American universities take the top THREE places in the world rankings: MIT crowned the best just ahead of Harvard and Stanford|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3237039/US-three-universities-world-Massachusetts-Institute-Technology-crowned-best.html|website=The Daily Mail|publisher=The Daily Mail|accessdate=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011132639/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3237039/US-three-universities-world-Massachusetts-Institute-Technology-crowned-best.html|archive-date=2016-10-11|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kich|first1=Martin|title=U.S. Higher Education News for September 15, 2015|url=https://academeblog.org/2015/09/17/u-s-higher-education-news-for-september-15-2015/|website=Academe Blog|publisher=Martin Kich|accessdate=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222183953/https://academeblog.org/2015/09/17/u-s-higher-education-news-for-september-15-2015/|archive-date=2016-02-22|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> In 2016, Ben Sowter, Head of Research at the QS Intelligence Unit, was ranked in 40th position in [http://wonkhe.com/about-us/ Wonkhe]'s 2016 'Higher Education Power List'. The list enumerated what the organisation believed to be the 50 most influential figures in UK higher education.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Leach|first1=Mark|title=Higher Education Power List - 2016|url=http://wonkhe.com/2016-higher-education-powerlist/?mc_cid=27307da84d&mc_eid=7a7d83a8aa|website=WonkHe|publisher=WonkHe|accessdate=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924134716/http://wonkhe.com/2016-higher-education-powerlist/?mc_cid=27307da84d&mc_eid=7a7d83a8aa|archive-date=2016-09-24|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Several universities in the UK and the Asia-Pacific region have commented on the rankings positively. Vice-Chancellor of New Zealand's [[Massey University]], Professor Judith Kinnear, says that the Times Higher Education-QS ranking is a "wonderful external acknowledgement of several university attributes, including the quality of its research, research training, teaching and employability." She said the rankings are a true measure of a university's ability to fly high internationally: "The Times Higher Education ranking provides a rather more and more sophisticated, robust and well rounded measure of international and national ranking than either New Zealand's [[Performance Based Research Fund]] (PBRF) measure or the [[Academic Ranking of World Universities|Shanghai rankings]]."<ref name="Flying high internationally">[http://masseynews.massey.ac.nz/2004/Press_Releases/11_11_04.html Flying high internationally] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211121732/http://masseynews.massey.ac.nz/2004/Press_Releases/11_11_04.html |date=December 11, 2007 }}</ref> In September 2012 the British newspaper ''[[The Independent]]'' described the QS World University Rankings as being "widely recognised throughout higher education as the most trusted international tables".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/cambridge-loses-top-spot-to-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-8122436.html|title=Cambridge loses top spot to Massachusetts Institute of Technology|accessdate=11 September 2012|publisher=The Independent|date=11 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915010853/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/cambridge-loses-top-spot-to-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-8122436.html|archive-date=2012-09-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Angel Calderon, Principal Advisor for Planning and Research at [[RMIT University]] and member of the QS Advisory Board, spoke positively of the QS University Rankings for Latin America, saying that the "QS Latin American University Rankings has become the annual international benchmark universities use to ascertain their relative standing in the region". He further stated that the 2016/17 edition of this ranking demonstrated improved stability.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Calderon|first1=Angel|title=How to boost your university’s ranking position|url=http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2016062113365585|website=University World News|publisher=University World News|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915010535/http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2016062113365585|archive-date=2016-09-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> ==== Criticisms ==== Certain commentators have expressed concern about the use or misuse of survey data. However, QS's Intelligence Unit, responsible for compiling the rankings, state that the extent of the sample size used for their surveys mean that they are now "almost impossible to manipulate and very difficult for institutions to ‘game’". They also state that "over 62,000 academic respondents contributed to our 2013 academic results, four times more than in 2010. Independent academic reviews have confirmed these results to be more than 99% reliable". Furthermore, since 2013, the number of respondents to QS's Academic Reputation Survey has increased again. Their survey now makes use of nearly 75,000 academic peer reviews, making it "to date, the world’s largest aggregation of feeling in this [the global academic] community."<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Academic Survey Responses|url=http://www.iu.qs.com/academic-survey-responses/|website=QS Intelligence Unit|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824072418/http://www.iu.qs.com/academic-survey-responses/|archive-date=2016-08-24|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref name="Academic Reputation">{{cite web|title=Academic Reputation|url=http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/indicator-academic/|website=QS Intelligence Unit|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920132319/http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/indicator-academic/|archive-date=2016-09-20|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Moran|first1=Jack|title=Top 200 universities in the world 2016: the global trends|url=https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2016/sep/05/top-200-universities-in-the-world-2016-the-global-trends?CMP=share_btn_tw|website=The Guardian|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924231435/https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2016/sep/05/top-200-universities-in-the-world-2016-the-global-trends?CMP=share_btn_tw|archive-date=2016-09-24|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> The QS World University Rankings have been criticised by many for placing too much emphasis on peer review, which receives 40 percent of the overall score. Some people have expressed concern about the manner in which the peer review has been carried out.<ref name="UniversityRankingWatch">{{cite web |last=Holmes |first=Richard |url=http://rankingwatch.blogspot.com/2006/09/so-thats-how-they-did-it-for-some-time.html |title=So That's how They Did It |publisher=Rankingwatch.blogspot.com |date=2006-09-05 |accessdate=2010-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808023918/http://rankingwatch.blogspot.com/2006/09/so-thats-how-they-did-it-for-some-time.html |archive-date=2010-08-08 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> In a report,<ref name="Wills">{{cite web|url=http://www.aus.ac.nz/branches/auckland/akld06/AUS-SP.pdf|title=Response to Review of Strategic Plan by Peter Wills|publisher=|accessdate=29 June 2017|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080406192737/http://www.aus.ac.nz/branches/auckland/akld06/AUS-SP.pdf|archivedate=6 April 2008|df=}}</ref> Peter Wills from the [[University of Auckland]] wrote of the ''Times Higher Education''-QS World University Rankings: {{quote|But we note also that this survey establishes its rankings by appealing to university staff, even offering financial enticements to participate (see Appendix II). Staff are likely to feel it is in their greatest interest to rank their own institution more highly than others. This means the results of the survey and any apparent change in ranking are highly questionable, and that a high ranking has no real intrinsic value in any case. We are vehemently opposed to the evaluation of the University according to the outcome of such PR competitions.}} However, QS state that no survey participant, academic or employer, is offered a financial incentive to respond, while no academic is able to vote for their own institution. This renders this particular criticism invalid, as it is based on two incorrect premises: (1) that academics are currently financially incentivized to participate, and (2) that conflicts of interests are created by academics being able to vote for their own institution. Academicians previously criticized of the use of the citation database, arguing that it undervalues institutions which excel in the social sciences. Ian Diamond, former chief executive of the [[Economic and Social Research Council]] and now vice-chancellor of the [[University of Aberdeen]] and a member of the THE editorial board, wrote to ''[[Times Higher Education]]'' in 2007, saying:<ref name="Diamond">{{cite web |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=311132 |title=Social sciences lose 1 |publisher=Timeshighereducation.co.uk |date=2007-11-16 |accessdate=2010-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123141114/http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=311132 |archive-date=2011-11-23 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> {{quote|The use of a citation database must have an impact because such databases do not have as wide a cover of the social sciences (or arts and humanities) as the natural sciences. Hence the low position of the [[London School of Economics]], caused primarily by its citations score, is a result not of the output of an outstanding institution but the database and the fact that the LSE does not have the counterweight of a large natural science base.}} However, in 2015, QS's introduction of faculty area normalization ensured that QS's rankings no longer conferred an undue advantage or disadvantage upon any institution based on their particular subject specialisms. Correspondingly, the London School of Economics rose from 71st in 2014 to 35th in 2015 and 37th in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Faculty Area Normalization – Technical Explanation|url=http://content.qs.com/qsiu/Faculty_Area_Normalization_-_Technical_Explanation.pdf|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911063143/http://content.qs.com/qsiu/Faculty_Area_Normalization_-_Technical_Explanation.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-11|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Since the split from ''[[Times Higher Education]]'' in 2009, further concerns about the methodology QS uses for its rankings have been brought up by several experts. In October 2010, criticism of the old system came from Fred L. Bookstein, Horst Seidler, Martin Fieder and Georg Winckler in the journal ''Scientomentrics'' for the unreliability of QS's methods: {{quote|Several individual indicators from the Times Higher Education Survey (THES) data base the overall score, the reported staff-to-student ratio, and the peer ratings—demonstrate unacceptably high fluctuation from year to year. The inappropriateness of the summary tabulations for assessing the majority of the "top 200" universities would be apparent purely for reason of this obvious statistical instability regardless of other grounds of criticism. There are far too many anomalies in the change scores of the various indices for them to be of use in the course of university management.<ref name=Scientometrics>{{cite journal|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/d02771828173244w/ |title=Scientometrics, Volume 85, Number 1 |publisher=SpringerLink |date= |accessdate=2010-09-16 |doi=10.1007/s11192-010-0189-5 |volume=85 |journal=Scientometrics |pages=295–299}}</ref>}} In an article for the New Statesman entitled "The QS World University Rankings are a load of old baloney", [[David Blanchflower]], a leading [[labour economics|labour economist]], said: "This ranking is complete rubbish and nobody should place any credence in it. The results are based on an entirely flawed methodology that underweights the quality of research and overweights fluff... The QS is a flawed index and should be ignored." <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/david-blanchflower/2011/09/world-university-faculty|title=The QS World University Rankings are a load of old baloney|publisher=|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016175355/http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/david-blanchflower/2011/09/world-university-faculty|archive-date=2013-10-16|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> However, Martin Ince,<ref name="Martin Ince Communications"/> chair of the Advisory Board for the Rankings, points out that their volatility has been reduced since 2007 by the introduction of the Z-score calculation method and that over time, the quality of QS's data gathering has improved to reduce anomalies. In addition, the academic and employer review are now so big that even modestly ranked universities receive a statistically valid number of votes. QS has published extensive data <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/|title=QS Intelligence Unit - QS World University Rankings|publisher=|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106140149/http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/|archive-date=2016-01-06|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> on who the respondents are, where they are, and the subjects and industries to which the academicians and employers respectively belong. The QS Subject Rankings have been dismissed as unreliable by [[Brian Leiter]], who points out that programmes which are known to be high quality, and which rank highly in the Blackwell rankings (e.g., the University of Pittsburgh) fare poorly in the QS ranking for reasons that are not at all clear.<ref name=haziness>[http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/guardian-and-qs-rankings-definitively-prove-the-existence-of-the-halo-effect.html Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog: Guardian and "QS Rankings" Definitively Prove the Existence of the "Halo Effect"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801024604/http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/guardian-and-qs-rankings-definitively-prove-the-existence-of-the-halo-effect.html |date=2012-08-01 }}. Leiterreports.typepad.com (2011-06-05). Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref> However, the University of Pittsburgh was ranked in the number one position for Philosophy in the 2016 QS World University Rankings by Subject, while [[Rutgers University]] - another university that Leiter argued was given a strangely low ranking - was ranked number three in the world in the same ranking. An institution's score for each of QS's metrics can be found on the relevant ranking page, allowing those wishing to examine why an institution has finished in its final position to gain access to the scores that contributed to the overall rank.<ref>{{cite web|title=QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016 - Philosophy|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2016/philosophy|website=Top Universities|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912145720/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2016/philosophy|archive-date=2016-09-12|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> In an article titled ''The Globalisation of College and University Rankings'' and appearing in the January/February 2012 issue of ''Change'' magazine, Philip Altbach, professor of higher education at Boston College and also a member of the THE editorial board, said: "The QS World University Rankings are the most problematical. From the beginning, the QS has relied on reputational indicators for half of its analysis … it probably accounts for the significant variability in the QS rankings over the years. In addition, QS queries employers, introducing even more variability and unreliability into the mix. Whether the QS rankings should be taken seriously by the higher education community is questionable."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.changemag.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2012/January-February%202012/Globalization-abstract.html|title=Change Magazine - January-February 2012|author=Change Magazine - Taylor & Francis|date=13 January 2012|publisher=|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512235327/http://www.changemag.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2012/January-February%202012/Globalization-abstract.html|archive-date=2015-05-12|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at University of Melbourne and a member of the THE editorial board, in the article "Improving Latin American universities' global ranking" for University World News on 10 June 2012, said: "I will not discuss the QS ranking because the methodology is not sufficiently robust to provide data valid as social science".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120606174803978|title=Improving Latin American universities' global ranking - University World News|publisher=|accessdate=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615005657/http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120606174803978|archive-date=2013-06-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> QS's Intelligence Unit counter these criticisms by stating that "Independent academic reviews have confirmed these results to be more than 99% reliable".<ref name="Academic Reputation"/> ====Results==== The 2019 QS World University Rankings, published on June 6, 2018, was the fifteenth edition of the overall ranking. It confirmed Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the world's highest-ranked university for a seventh successive year. In doing so, MIT broke the record of consecutive number-one positions. {| class="sortable wikitable" border="1" |+ QS World University Rankings — Top 10{{refn|group=note|Order shown in accordance with the latest result.|name=two}} |- !Institution !2010/11<ref name=QS2010>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010 |title=QS World University Rankings (2010/11) |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403044940/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010 |archivedate=April 3, 2011 }}</ref> !2011/12<ref name=QS2011>{{cite web|url=http://content.qs.com/supplement2011/top500.pdf|title=QS World University Rankings (2011/12)|access-date=2015-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819044919/http://content.qs.com/supplement2011/top500.pdf|archive-date=2014-08-19|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2012/13<ref name=QS2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2012|title=QS World University Rankings (2012/13)|access-date=2012-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921085926/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2012|archive-date=2012-09-21|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2013/14<ref name=QS2013>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2013#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|title=QS World University Rankings (2013/14)|access-date=2013-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021124625/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2013#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|archive-date=2016-10-21|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2014/15<ref name=QS2014>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|title=QS World University Rankings (2014/15)|access-date=2014-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205025004/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|archive-date=2016-02-05|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2015/16<ref name=QS2015>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|title=QS World University Rankings (2015/16)|access-date=2015-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219182830/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|archive-date=2016-12-19|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2016/17<ref name=QS2016>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2016|title=QS World University Rankings (2016/17)|access-date=2016-09-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130013658/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2016|archive-date=2017-11-30|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2018<ref name=QS2017>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2018|title=QS World University Rankings (2018)|access-date=2017-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609212134/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2018|archive-date=2017-06-09|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2019<ref name=QS2018>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2019|title=QS World University Rankings (2019)|access-date=2018-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609212134/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2019|archive-date=2017-06-09|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]||5||3||1||1||1||1||1|1||1||1 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Stanford University]]||13||11||15||7||7||3||3|2||2||2 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Harvard University]]||2||2||3||2||4||2||3||3||3 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[California Institute of Technology]]||9||12||10||10||8||5||5||4||4 |- |{{flagicon|UK}} [[University of Oxford]]||6||5||5||6||5||6||6||6||5 |- |{{flagicon|UK}} [[University of Cambridge]]||1||1||2||3||2||3||4||5||6 |- |{{flagicon|SWI}} [[Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich]]||18||18||13||12||12||9||8||10||7 |- |{{flagicon|UK}} [[Imperial College London]]||7||6||6||5||2||8||9||8||8 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[University of Chicago]]||8||8||8||9||11||10||10||9||9 |- |{{flagicon|UK}} [[University College London]]||4||7||4||4||5||7||7||7||10 |- |} *For the rankings before 2010, see [[THE-QS World University Rankings]]. ===Young Universities=== QS also releases the ''QS Top 50 under 50 Ranking'' annually to rank universities which have been established for under 50 years. These institutions are judged based on their positions on the overall table of the previous year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/top-50-under-50|title=QS Top 50 under 50|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=2013-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615182510/http://www.topuniversities.com/top-50-under-50|archive-date=2013-06-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> From 2015, QS's "'Top 50 Under 50" ranking was expanded to include the world's top 100 institutions under 50 years of age, while in 2017 it was again expanded to include the world's top 150 universities in this cohort. In 2017, the table was topped by [[Nanyang Technological University]] of [[Singapore]] for the fourth consecutive year. The table is dominated by universities from the Asia-Pacific region, with the top six places taken by Asian institutions.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Symonds|first1=Quacquarelli|title=QS Top 50 Under 50|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/top-50-under-50|website=Top Universities|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=19 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725205631/https://www.topuniversities.com/top-50-under-50|archive-date=2017-07-25|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> ===Faculties and subjects=== QS also ranks universities by [[discipline (specialism)|academic discipline]] organized into 5 faculties, namely [[Arts]] [[Humanities|& Humanities]], [[Engineering|Engineering & Technology]], [[Life Sciences]] [[Medicine|& Medicine]], [[Natural Science]]s and [[Social Sciences|Social Sciences & Management]]. The methodology is based on surveying expert academics and global employers, and measuring research performance using data sourced from Elsevier's Scopus database. In the ''2018 QS World University Rankings by Subject'' the world's best universities for the study of 48 different subjects are named. The two new subject tables added in the most recent edition are: Classics & Ancient History and Library & Information Management. The world's leading institution in 2018's tables in terms of most world-leading positions is [[Harvard University]], which is number one for 14 subjects. Its longtime rankings rival, [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], is number one for twelve subjects.<ref name=subjects/> {| style="text-align=center" class="wikitable sortable" border="2.5" |+ Categories of QS World University Rankings by Faculty and Subject<ref name=subjects>{{cite web|title=QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/2016|website=Top Universities|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019141728/http://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/2016|archive-date=2016-10-19|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> |- align=center || '''Art & Humanities''' || '''Engineering & Technology''' || '''Life Sciences & Medicine''' || '''Natural Sciences '''{{refn|group=note|The term "Natural Sciences" here actually refers to [[physical sciences]] since [[life sciences]] are also a branch of [[natural sciences]].}} || '''Social Sciences''' |- align=center ||Archaeology ||Chemical Engineering ||Agriculture & Forestry ||Chemistry ||Accounting & Finance |- align=center ||Architecture & Built Environment ||Civil & Structural Engineering ||Biological Sciences ||Earth & Marine Sciences ||Anthropology |- align=center ||Art & Design ||Computer Science & Information Systems ||Dentistry ||Environmental Sciences ||Business & Management Studies |- align=center ||Classics & Ancient History ||Electrical & Electronic Engineering ||Medicine ||Geography ||Communication & Media Studies |- align=center ||English Language & Literature ||Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering ||Nursing ||Materials Science ||Development Studies |- align=center ||History ||Mineral & Mining Engineering ||Pharmacy & Pharmacology ||Mathematics ||Economics & Econometrics |- align=center ||Linguistics ||Geomatic Engineering ||Psychology ||Physics & Astronomy ||Education & Training |- align=center ||Modern Languages || ||Anatomy & Physiology || ||Hospitality & Leisure Management |- align=center ||Performing Arts || ||Veterinary Science || ||Law |- align=center ||Philosophy || || || ||Library & Information Management |- align=center ||Theology, Divinity, and Religious Studies || || || ||Politics & International Studies |- align=center || || || || ||Social Policy & Administration |- align=center || || || || ||Sociology |- align=center || || || || ||Sports-related Subjects |- align=center || || || || ||Statistics & Operational Research |} ==Regional rankings and other tables== ===QS Graduate Employability Rankings=== In 2015, in an attempt to meet student demand for comparative data about the employment prospects offered by prospective or current universities, QS launched the ''[https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2018 QS Graduate Employability Rankings]''. The most recent instalment, released for the 2017/18 academic year, ranks 500 universities worldwide. It is led by Stanford University, and features five universities from the United States in the top 10.<ref>{{cite web|title=Graduate Employability Rankings 2018|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2018|website=Top Universities|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=21 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030224952/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2018|archive-date=2017-10-30|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> The unique methodology consists of five indicators, with three that do not feature in any other ranking.<ref>{{cite web|title=QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018 Methodology|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/employability-rankings/methodology|website=QS Top Universities|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=21 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921194438/https://www.topuniversities.com/employability-rankings/methodology|archive-date=2017-09-21|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> {| class="sortable wikitable" border="1" |+ QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018 — Top 10{{refn|group=note||name=two}} |- !Institution!!data-sort-type="number"|2016<ref name="QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2016">{{cite web|title= QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2016|url= https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/university-news/new-graduate-employability-ranking-universities|access-date= 2017-09-21|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170921194528/https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/university-news/new-graduate-employability-ranking-universities|archive-date= 2017-09-21|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2017<ref name="QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2017">{{cite web|title= QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2017|url= https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2017|access-date= 21 September 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171002183747/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2017|archive-date= 2017-10-02|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2018<ref name="QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018">{{cite web|title= QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018|url= https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2018|access-date= 21 September 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171030224952/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2018|archive-date= 2017-10-30|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref> |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Stanford University]]||1||1||1 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[University of California, Los Angeles]]||1||15||2 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Harvard University]]||3||n/a||3 |- |{{flagicon|AUS}} [[The University of Sydney]]||14||4||4 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]||2||2||5 |- |{{flagicon|GBR}} [[University of Cambridge]]||4||5||6 |- |{{flagicon|AUS}} [[University of Melbourne]]||n/a||11||7 |- |{{flagicon|GBR}} [[University of Oxford]]||6||8||8 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[University of California, Berkeley]]||8||9||9 |- |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Princeton University]]||9||3||10 |} ===Asia=== In 2009, QS launched the ''QS Asian University Rankings'' or ''QS University Rankings: Asia'' in partnership with ''[[The Chosun Ilbo]]'' newspaper in Korea to rank universities in Asia independently. The Ninth instalment, released for the 2017/18 academic year, ranks the 350 best universities in Asia, and is led by [[Nanyang Technological University]], Singapore.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2018|title=QS University Rankings: Asia 2018|date=2017-10-12|work=Top Universities|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616022557/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2016|archive-date=2016-06-16|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> These rankings use some of the same criteria as the world rankings, but there are changed weightings and new criteria. One addition is the criterion of incoming and outgoing exchange students. Accordingly, the performance of Asian institutions in the ''QS World University Rankings'' and the ''QS Asian University Rankings'' released in the same academic year are different from each other.<ref name=vs/> {| class="sortable wikitable" border="1" |+ QS University Rankings: Asia — Top 10{{refn|group=note||name=two}} |- !Institution!!data-sort-type="number"|2009<ref name=QSA2009>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2009)|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116061632/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2009 |archive-date=16 January 2011 |access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2010<ref name=QSA2010>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2010)|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520092633/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2010 |archive-date=20 May 2011 |access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2011<ref name=QSA2011>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2011)|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612033001/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2011 |archive-date=12 June 2012 |access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2012<ref name=QSA2012>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2012)|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602033218/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2012/|archive-date=2 June 2012 |access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2013<ref name=QSA2013>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2013)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2013|access-date= 2013-06-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130613055928/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2013|archive-date= 2013-06-13|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2014<ref name=QSA2014>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2014)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2014|access-date= 2014-05-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140518231632/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2014|archive-date= 2014-05-18|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2015<ref name=QSA2015>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2015)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|access-date= 2015-06-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150612232550/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=|archive-date= 2015-06-12|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2016<ref name=QSA2016>{{cite web|title= QS Asian University Rankings (2016)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2016|access-date= 2016-06-14|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160616022557/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2016|archive-date= 2016-06-16|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref>!!data-sort-type="number"|2018<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2018|title=QS University Rankings: Asia 2018|date=2017-10-12|work=Top Universities|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616022557/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2016|archive-date=2016-06-16|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> !2019<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2019|title=QS University Rankings: Asia 2019|date=|work=Top Universities|access-date=2019-01-07}}</ref> |- |{{flagicon|SIN}} [[National University of Singapore]]||10||3||3||2||2||1||1||1||2 |1 |- |{{flagicon|HKG}} [[University of Hong Kong]]||1||1||2||3||2||3||2||2||5 |2 |- |{{flagicon|SIN}} [[Nanyang Technological University]]||14||18||17||17||10||7||4||3||1 |3 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Tsinghua University]]||15||16||16||15||14||14||11||5||6 |3 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Peking University]]||10||12||13||6||5||8||7||9||9 |5 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Fudan University]]||26||24||21||19||23||22||16||11||7 |6 |- |{{flagicon|HKG}} [[Hong Kong University of Science and Technology]]||4||2||1||1||1||5||5||4||3 |7 |- |{{flagicon|KOR}} [[KAIST]]||7||13||11||7||6||2||3||6||4 |8 |- |{{flagicon|HKG}} [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]]||2||4||5||5||7||6||6||8||10 |9 |- |{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Seoul National University]]||8||6||6||4||4||4||8||10||11 |10 |- |} ===Latin America=== The ''QS Latin American University Rankings'' or ''QS University Rankings: Latin America'' were launched in 2011. They use academic opinion (30%), employer opinion (20%), publications per faculty member, citations per paper, academic staff with a PhD, faculty/student ratio and web visibility (10 per cent each) as measures.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/qs-urlat/|title= Methodology (QS University Rankings – Latin America)|publisher= ''Quacquarelli Symonds''|accessdate= 12 August 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140729023629/http://www.iu.qs.com/university-rankings/qs-urlat/|archive-date= 2014-07-29|dead-url= yes|df= }}</ref> The 2016/17 edition of the QS World University Rankings: Latin America ranks the top 300 universities in the region. The [[Universidade de São Paulo]] retained its status as the region's best university.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2016|website=Top Universities|title=QS World University Rankings: Latin America|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|accessdate=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913224217/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2016|archive-date=2016-09-13|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ QS University Rankings: Latin America — Top 10{{refn|group=note||name=two}} |- !Institution !! data-sort-type="number"|2013<ref name=QSLA2013>{{cite web|title= QS Latin American University Rankings (2013)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2013|access-date= 2017-03-10|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170214184803/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2013|archive-date= 2017-02-14|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref> !! data-sort-type="number"|2014<ref name=QSLA2014>{{cite web|title= QS Latin American University Rankings (2014)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2014|access-date= 2017-03-10|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170312111918/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2014|archive-date= 2017-03-12|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref> !! data-sort-type="number"|2015<ref name=QSLA2015>{{cite web|title= QS Latin American University Rankings (2015)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2015|access-date= 2017-03-10|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170312104853/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2015|archive-date= 2017-03-12|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref> !! data-sort-type="number"|2016<ref name=QSLA2016>{{cite web|title= QS Latin American University Rankings (2016)|url= http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2016|access-date= 2016-09-14|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160914222041/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2016|archive-date= 2016-09-14|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref> !! data-sort-type="number"|2018<ref name=QSLA2018>{{cite web|title= QS Latin American University Rankings (2018)|url= https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2018|access-date= 2017-10-18|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171017074710/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2018|archive-date= 2017-10-17|dead-url= no|df= }}</ref> |- | {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile]]|| 2 || 1 || 3 || 3 || 1 |- | {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Universidade Estadual de Campinas]]|| 3 || 3 || 2 || 2 || 2 |- | {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Universidade de São Paulo]]|| 1 || 2 || 1 || 1 || 3 |- | {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México]]|| 6 || 8 || 6 || 4 || 4 |- | {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey]]|| 7 || 7 || 9 || 7 || 5 |- | {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Universidad de Chile]]|| 5 || 6 || 4 || 6 || 6 |- | {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Universidade federal do rio de janeiro|Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro]]|| 8 || 4 || 5 || 5 || 7 |- | {{flagicon|COL}} [[Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)|Universidad de los Andes]]|| 4 || 5 || 7 || 8 || 8 |- | {{flagicon|ARG}} [[University of Buenos Aires|Universidad de Buenos Aires]]|| 12 || 19 || 15 || 11 || 9 |- | {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Sao Paulo State University|Universidade Estadual de São Paulo]]|| 11 || 9 || 8 || 12 || 10 |} ===Africa=== The number of universities in Africa increased by 115 percent from 2000 to 2010, and enrollment more than doubled from 2.3 million to 5.2 million students, according to UNESCO. However, only one African university was among the worlds 100 best, to judge the world universities ranking of 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/african-policymakers-must-do-more-pay-lip-service-sustainable-development-goal-improve|title=This matter cannot wait|publisher=D+C''|accessdate=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614123141/https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/african-policymakers-must-do-more-pay-lip-service-sustainable-development-goal-improve|archive-date=2018-06-14|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> ===BRICS=== This set of rankings adopts 8 indicators to select the top 100 higher learning institutions in [[BRICS|BRICS countries]]. Institutions in [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]] and [[Taiwan]] are not ranked here. {| class="sortable wikitable" border="1" |+QS University Rankings: BRICS — Top 10{{refn|group=note||name=two}} |- !Institution!!2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2013#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search=|title=QS University Rankings: BRICS 2013|date=2013|accessdate=August 23, 2015|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217061019/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2013#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search=|archive-date=2013-12-17|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref>!!2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search=|title=QS University Rankings: BRICS 2014|date=2014|accessdate=August 23, 2015|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822112106/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search=|archive-date=2015-08-22|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref>!!2015<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search=|title=QS University Rankings: BRICS 2015|date=2015|accessdate=August 23, 2015|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820060811/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search=|archive-date=2015-08-20|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref>!!2016<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2016#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search= |title=QS University Rankings: BRICS 2016 |publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited |access-date=9 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723054737/http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2016#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search= |archive-date=2016-07-23 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref>!!2018<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2018#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search= |title=QS University Rankings: BRICS 2018 |publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited |access-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142302/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2018#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search= |archive-date=2018-06-12 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> !2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2019|title=QS University Rankings: BRICS 2019|date=2018-10-02|website=Top Universities|language=en|access-date=2019-01-06}}</ref> |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Tsinghua University]]||1||1||1||1||1 |1 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Peking University]]||2||2||2||2||2 |2 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Fudan University]]||4||5||3||3||3 |3 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[University of Science and Technology of China]]||6||4||6||4||4 |4 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Zhejiang University]]||9||11||11||9||6 |5 |- |{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Lomonosov Moscow State University]]||3||3||4||7||5 |6 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shanghai Jiao Tong University]]||6||8||6||5||7 |7 |- |{{flagicon|IND}} [[Indian Institute of Technology Bombay]]||15||15||16||13||9 |8 |- |{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Nanjing University]]||5||6||8||8||8 |9 |- |{{flagicon|IND}} [[Indian Institute of Science Bangalore ]]||15||15||5||6||10 |10 |} ===QS Best Student Cities Ranking=== In 2012, QS launched the ''QS Best Student Cities'' ranking - a table designed to evaluate which cities were most likely to provide students with a high-quality student experience. Five editions of the ranking have been published thus far, with Paris taking the number-one position in four of them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2016|title=QS Best Student Cities 2016|date=30 November 2015|publisher=|accessdate=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705012219/https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2016|archive-date=2017-07-05|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2015|title=QS Best Student Cities 2015|date=21 November 2014|publisher=|accessdate=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703030558/https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2015|archive-date=2017-07-03|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2014|title=QS Best Student Cities 2014|date=14 November 2013|publisher=|accessdate=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828024118/https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2014|archive-date=2017-08-28|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> The 2017 edition was also the first one to see the introduction of student opinion as a contributory indicator. The most recent edition of the ranking was released on May 9, 2018. It saw London take the number-one spot from Montreal. {| class="sortable wikitable" border="1" |+QS Best Student Cities — Top 10{{refn|group=note||name=two}} |- !City!!2014<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2014|title=QS Best Student Cities 2014|date=2014|accessdate=August 23, 2015|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202132411/https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2014|archive-date=2017-02-02|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref>!!2015<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2015|title=QS Best Student Cities 2015|date=2015|accessdate=August 23, 2015|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825045804/http://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2015|archive-date=2015-08-25|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref>!!2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2016|title=QS Best Student Cities 2016|date=2016|accessdate=August 23, 2015|publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202061453/http://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2016|archive-date=2015-12-02|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref>!!2017<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2017 |title=QS Best Student Cities 2017 |publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited |access-date=16 February 2017 }}</ref>!!2018<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2018 |title=QS Best Student Cities 2018 |publisher=Quacquarelli Symonds Limited |access-date=7 June 2018 }}</ref> |- |{{flagicon|GBR}} [[London]]||2||3||5||3||1 |- |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Tokyo]]||17||7||3||7||2 |- |{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melbourne]]||5||2||2||5||3 |- |{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Montreal]]||9||8||7||1||4 |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Paris]]||1||1||1||2||5 |- |{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Munich]]||10||14||11||9||6 |- |{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Berlin]]||11||16||9||6||7 |- |{{flagicon|SWI}} [[Zurich]]||5||11||12||15||8 |- |{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Sydney]]||4||4||4||13||9 |- |{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Seoul]]||14||10||10||4||10 |} ==Events== [[Quacquarelli Symonds|QS Quacquarelli Symonds]] organises a range of international student recruitment events throughout the year. These are generally oriented towards introducing prospective students to university admissions staff, while also facilitating access to admissions advice and scholarships. In 2018, over 300 events were hosted, attended by 220,000 candidates, in 100 cities across 50 countries. Separated into ‘tours’, QS’ event offerings typically comprise a series of university and business school fairs. ===World MBA Tour=== The QS World MBA Tour is the world’s largest series of international business school fairs, attended by more than 60,000 candidates in 100 cities across 50 countries. ===World MBA Tour Premium=== QS World MBA Premium also focuses on MBA student recruitment, but invites only business schools ranked in the top 200 internationally, according to the QS World University Rankings. The event aims to provide a more holistic overview of an MBA degree, with enhanced focus on pre- and post-study processes and insights. ===World Grad School Tour=== The QS World Grad School Tour focuses on international postgraduate programs, particularly specialised Master’s degrees and PhDs in FAME (Finance, Accounting, Management and Economics) and [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] disciplines. ===World University Tour=== The QS World University Tour has an emphasis on undergraduate student recruitment, inviting undergraduate programs only. ===Connect Events=== QS Connect MBA and QS Connect Masters differ from other event series’ in that an open fair format is not followed. Instead, candidates take part in pre-arranged 1-to-1 interviews with admissions staff, based on pre-submitted CVs and academic profiles. ==QS Stars== QS also offers universities an auditing service that provides in-depth information about institutional strengths and weaknesses. Called QS Stars, this service is separate from the QS World University Rankings. It involves a detailed look at a range of functions which mark out a modern, global university. The minimum result that a university can receive is zero Stars, while truly exceptional, world-leading universities can receive '5*+', or 'Five Star Plus', status. The QS Stars audit process evaluates universities according to about 50 different indicators. By 2018, about 20 different universities worldwide had been awarded the maximum possible Five Star Plus rating.<ref>{{cite web|title=QS Stars University Ratings|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/qs-stars#sorting=overall+country=+rating=6+order=desc+orderby=uni+search=|website=Top Universities|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds|access-date=2016-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914092702/http://www.topuniversities.com/qs-stars#sorting=overall+country=+rating=6+order=desc+orderby=uni+search=|archive-date=2016-09-14|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> QS Stars ratings are derived from scores on in eight out of 12 categories. Four categories are mandatory, while institutions must choose the remaining four optional categories.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-stars/what-qs-stars|title=What is QS Stars?|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704120008/https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-stars/what-qs-stars|archive-date=2017-07-04|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> They are: * Teaching * Employability * Research * Internationalization * Facilities * Online/Distance Learning * Arts & Culture * Innovation * Inclusiveness * Social Responsibility * Subject Ranking * Program Strength<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-stars/qs-stars-methodology|title=QS Stars Methodology|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704211824/https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-stars/qs-stars-methodology|archive-date=2017-07-04|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> Stars is an evaluation system, not a ranking. About 400 institutions had opted for the Stars evaluation as of early 2018. In 2012, fees to participate in this program were $9850 for the initial audit and an annual license fee of $6850.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/world/europe/31iht-educlede31.html?pagewanted=all|title=Ratings at a Price for Smaller Universities|accessdate=10 September 2013|publisher=The New York Times|date=30 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415004317/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/world/europe/31iht-educlede31.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=2013-04-15|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref> ==Notes== {{reflist|group=note}} ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== *[https://www.topuniversities.com/ Official website] *[http://iu.qs.com QS Intelligence Unit Blog] — blog on rankings and higher education from the team that compiles the QS World University Rankings *[http://www.statsilk.com/maps/where-are-worlds-top-universities-interactive-maps-comparing-three-rankings-arwu-the-qs Interactive maps comparing the QS World University Rankings with the Academic Ranking of World Universities and Times Higher Education rankings] {{University ranking systems}} {{Portal bar|University}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Qs World University Rankings}} [[Category:University and college rankings]] [[Category:2004 introductions]]'