Asian University Rankings
Methodology: Context
QS has been operating the THE-QS World University Rankings since 2004. Worldwide, the interest in the results of the ranking has been overwhelming. There are pitfalls with any ranking – mainly down to the fundamental fact that they are, in general, designed to provide objective guidance on what universities may be worth considering for a student, potential faculty member or prospective partner, amongst other stakeholders, yet they are not responsive to the individual needs of each enquirer.
Methodology: Data Collection
The data collection process for an exercise like this is challenging and complex. QS has five years experience chasing down data from institutions, verifying its accuracy and extrapolating to fill gaps where appropriate. In most cases, institutions are given the opportunity to submit their own data. If they don’t take that opportunity then QS will do everything possible to track the data from alternate sources. Where the data is available from one source, QS will do everything possible to verify the data.
Methodology: Definitions
Over the five years that QS has been involved in the development and delivery of rankings, the definitions of various terms has evolved to reduce ambiguity and improve comparability. Each data collection exercise yields new surprises and new amendments. The definitions used to derive the above measures, at the time of collecting data for the 2009 QS.com Asian University Rankings, were as follows: ‐
Number of Faculty Staff
Methodology: Recruiter Review 
The Employer Review is key in evaluating institutions from the perspective of Graduate Employability, one of the originally intended four focuses, themes or pillars of the research.
Methodology: Academic Peer Review 
The Academic Peer Review remains a major component of the QS.com Asian University Rankings carrying a weighting of 30%. It is the component that attracts the greatest interest and the greatest scrutiny and that which sets this ranking most clearly apart from any other.
Methodology: Asian University Rankings vs. World University Rankings
The table below outlines the methodological differences between the THE-QS World University Rankings and the QS.com Asian University Rankings.