New Ranking of National Higher Education Systems – Coming Soon

The QS Higher Education System Strength Rankings will be published for the first time this year, highlighting the world’s 50 leading countries in terms of overall higher education provision. To be published on TopUniversities.com on 18 May 2016, the ranking assesses national performance in four key categories: system strength, access, flagship institution, and economic context.

This new national-level comparison joins QS’s existing portfolio of university rankings, providing a bigger-picture overview of which nations are excelling in the higher education space – and a means by which to track changing trends over the coming years.

Putting university rankings in context

The index draws on the QS World University Rankings® to assess the overall performance of each nation’s universities at international level. It also compares the standing of each country’s leading institution, in recognition of the fact that many nations invest specifically in developing a flagship university to spearhead progress.

Alongside these rankings-based factors, the index also assesses access – based on the number of places available at internationally ranked institutions in the country – as well as taking into account the economic context within which each system is operating. This last indicator factors GDP per capita against university rankings, aiming to assess the relative impact of investment in higher education.

A benchmark for the changing global landscape

This new index should be of interest not only to prospective students seeking inspiration about where to study abroad, but also to governments and policy makers, providing a means by which to benchmark and set national targets. Over the next decades, it will also offer an additional measure by which to chart changes in the global higher education landscape, as developing nations continue to invest heavily in this area.

The full ranking and methodology will be published on TopUniversities.com on 18 May 2016, with an interactive table available to show results in each of the four categories assessed. To be the first to get the results, follow us on Twitter or sign up to receive email alerts.