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Comparing Universities in the BRICS Countries
By Laura Bridgestock
Updated June 27, 2016 Updated June 27, 2016Following the release of the 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS, we’ve been taking a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of universities in each of the BRICS countries, as revealed by the eight indicators used to create the ranking. For more detail on the performance of universities in each country, click on the following links:
Or for a quick comparison of universities in the BRICS countries, check out the ‘score cards’ below.
Universities in Brazil
Number of universities in the 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS
45
Top three universities in the BRICS ranking
Universidade de São Paulo (7th), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (9=), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (21=)
International standing
Brazil has 22 entries in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings®, of which the highest placed is Universidade de São Paulo (127th). At regional level, universities in Brazil dominate the QS University Rankings: Latin America;78 Brazilian universities are ranked among Latin America’s top 300 this year, and Brazil takes five of the ranking’s top 10 spots.
Super powers
Highly qualified staff – in the BRICS ranking, universities in Brazil take five of the top 10 places for proportion of staff with a PhD.
Areas for improvement
International student recruitment – no universities in Brazil appear within the BRICS top 100 for proportion of international students.
Did you know?
Brazil’s government recently set a target to have 50% of 18-24 year olds enrolled in higher education by 2023 (from just over 30% as of 2012).
Read more about universities in Brazil >
Universities in Russia
Number of universities in the 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS
53
Top three universities in the BRICS ranking
Lomonosov Moscow State University (3rd), Saint-Petersburg State University (12th), Novosibirsk State University (18th)
International standing
18 Russian universities are featured in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings, led by Lomonosov Moscow State University in 120nd place. Russia is home to more internationally ranked universities than any other country in Eastern Europe, but universities in Russia are still significantly outranked by Western European countries such as the UK, Germany and France.
Super powers
Faculty/student ratio – universities in Russia claim half of the top 10 places in the BRICS ranking in this indicator, suggesting a strong commitment to keeping class sizes manageable.
Areas for improvement
Research – only one Russian institution appears within the BRICS top 100 for the two indicators assessing research (papers per faculty and citations per paper).
Did you know?
The Russian government has set a target of having at least five Russian universities ranked within the global top 100 by 2020.
Read more about universities in Russia >
Universities in India
Number of universities in the 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS
20
Top three universities in the BRICS ranking
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (13th), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (15th), Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (16th)
International standing
India has 11 universities featured in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings, of which the highest ranked is the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (22nd). 17 universities in India are ranked among Asia’s top 300 in the 2014 QS University Rankings: Asia, with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi again the highest placed.
Super powers
Research production – Universities in India take six of the top 10 spots in the BRICS ranking in the indicator assessing papers published per faculty member.
Areas for improvement
Faculty/student ratio – only one Indian institution ranks within the BRICS top 100 on this measure.
Did you know?
The highest ranked universities in India are all members of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology group, known as IITs.
Read more about universities in India >
Universities in China
Number of universities in the 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS
71
Top three universities in the BRICS ranking
Tsinghua University (1st), Peking University (2nd), University of Science and Technology of China (4th)
International standing
25 universities in China claim places in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings, led by Peking University (46th). China also claims the largest number of entries in the QS University Rankings: Asia, though only one Chinese institution appears within the Asian top 10.
Super powers
International reputation – universities in China take six of the top 10 places among BRICS universities as rated by academics worldwide, and 5 as rated by graduate employers.
Areas for improvement
Research impact – high research production levels have yet to translate into an equally impressive level of impact in the international research community, but the BRICS ranking shows universities in China are improving in this area.
Did you know?
China’s higher education system overtook the US as the world’s largest in 2007.
Read more >
Universities in South Africa
Number of universities in the 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS
11
Top three universities in the BRICS ranking
University of Cape Town (9=), University of The Witwatersrand (31st), Stellenbosch University (34th)
International standing
The 2013/14 QS World University Rankings features seven universities in South Africa, with the highest placed being the University of Cape Town (145=). Alongside Egypt, South Africa is one of just two African nations to feature in the QS World University Rankings. It claims the continent’s two highest entries, and two more ranked institutions than Egypt.
Super powers
Research impact – the University of Cape Town is the overall BRICS leader in the citations per paper indicator, joined by two more South African universities within the top 10.
Areas for improvement
Academic staff levels – no universities in South Africa make the BRICS top 10 either for faculty/student ratio or for proportion of staff with a PhD.
Did you know?
South Africa’s higher education system is much smaller than those of the other BRICS countries, due to a much smaller national population (about 52 million, compared to almost 1.4 billion in China and 1.3 billion in India).
Read more about universities in South Africa >
This article was originally published in July 2014 . It was last updated in June 2016
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The former editor of TopUniversities.com, Laura oversaw the site's editorial content and student forums. She also edited the QS Top Grad School Guide and contributed to market research reports, including 'How Do Students Use Rankings?'
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