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QS EECA Rankings Methodology

By Dmytro F

Updated December 20, 2021 Updated December 20, 2021

View the latest QS EECA University Rankings

First published in 2014, the QS EECA University Rankings now features the top 450 universities in emerging Europe and central Asia. Aiming to celebrate and track the performance of higher education institutions in the EECA countries, the ranking uses a methodology adapted from the overall QS World University Rankings®, and similar to those used for QS’s other regional rankings.

A total of 10 factors are assessed, each of which contributes a certain proportion towards institutions’ overall scores. The results table can be sorted to compare universities on each of these nine indicators. Find out more from the QS Intelligence Unit.

Academic reputation (30%)

As is the case for all of QS’s university rankings, global reputation is assessed through two major international surveys. The first of these is the annual QS Global Academic Survey, which asks academics worldwide to identify the institutions they perceive to be conducting the best work in the own field.

Employer reputation (20%)

Alongside the academic survey, the QS Global Employer Survey asks graduate employers across the world to name the institutions they believe to be producing the best graduates in their sector. This indicator aims to reflect intuitional reputation in the global graduate employment market.

Faculty/student ratio (10%)

In lieu of a reliable or practical method by which to assess and compare teaching quality internationally, faculty/student ratio is considered. This is based on the number of students enrolled per full-time academic staff member, aiming to give an indication of each institution’s commitment to providing high standards of academic support.

Papers per faculty (10%)

Calculated using data from Elsevier’s Scopus – the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed academic literature – this indicator reflects research productivity, based on papers published per academic faculty member.

International research network (10%)

Using data provided by Scopus, this indicator assesses the degree of international openness in terms of research collaboration for each evaluated institution. To calculate this indicator the Margalef Index, widely used in the environmental sciences, has been adapted to produce a score that gives an indication of the diversity of an institution’s research collaborations with other institutions in different locations of the world.

Web impact (5%)

Based on the Webometrics ranking, this indicator reflects the extent of each institution’s online presence, one aspect of their commitment to international engagement and communication.

Staff with a PhD (5%)

A priority and growing strength for many leading universities in the EECA region is the recruitment of academic staff members qualified to PhD level or the equivalent. Progress in this area is assessed by calculating the proportion of faculty members at this level.

Citations per paper (5%)

Again based on data from the Scopus database, this indicator aims to assess research impact, based on the frequency with which an institution’s published papers are cited by other researchers around the world.

International faculty (2.5%) and international students (2.5%)

Finally, the last two indicators are based on the proportion of faculty members and students who are international. This provides an indication of the diversity of the institution’s community and learning environment, as well as reflecting success in attracting academics and students across national borders.

The overall results of the QS EECA University Rankings are published in an interactive online table, which allows users to compare universities’ performance on individual indicators, or view those with the highest combined scores. To access the full functionality of the table, you first need to log in or register as a site member – this is free and allows you to access exclusive content and resources.

View the latest QS EECA University Rankings

This article was originally published in June 2016 . It was last updated in December 2021

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Written by

Dmytro F