Out Now: QS World University Rankings 2020

This indicator functions in much the same way as academic reputation, only it’s based on the opinions of some of the top employers around the world. Looking at this indicator in isolation, we can see which universities you should want to be able to list at the top of your CV.

Only six have managed a perfect score of 100 this year, five of which also scored 100 with academics. The sixth, CentraleSupélec, is ranked 139^th in the world and is only the fourth best university in France. This poor overall performance is the result of poor academic reputation, suggesting the newly-founded institution (it was established in 2015) is still yet to earn notice for its research and teaching.

A whopping 20 universities achieved a perfect score for their ratio of faculty members to students this year, showing more institutions are recognizing the benefits of small class sizes and personal contact with tutors. Only 19 universities managed this feat in last year’s ranking.

A wide range of universities are among the 20 this year, with Japan, Italy, France, Russia and Denmark all represented. While five of the institutions achieved an overall finish in the top 10, others are far more obscure. Wake Forest University in the United States is the lowest-ranked university to score 100 for its faculty to student ratio, having dropped 11 places to joint 398^th.

A measure of the quantity of research being produced by a university, citations per faculty allows institutions with a strong analytical focus to shine.

Of the five universities to score a perfect 100 this year, only Caltech is a recognizable name from our overall top 10. Princeton University and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) are also based in the US, while the other two universities are from India and South Korea.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has dropped 14 places overall this year to 184^th but continues to enjoy a strong research output. It performs best in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for chemical engineering and materials science, suggesting those two areas are likely to be the focus of much of the institute’s leading research.

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) has also underperformed this year overall, falling seven places to joint 322^nd. It also performs well in our subject rankings for materials science, so anyone interested in this subject area has two intriguing, more obscure universities which they may want to consider applying to.

These two indicators both measure how international a university is, something which we consider to be an important factor, particularly for anyone looking to study abroad.

Around 50 universities achieved a perfect score for at least one of these indicators, suggesting there are plenty of places where international students will feel more than welcome. There’s a fantastic level of international diversity at universities all over the world, from the United Arab Emirates to Australia, France and even Saudi Arabia.

Interestingly, only 10 universities achieved a perfect score in both of these indicators and none of these are from the US. The UK is represented three times, by Imperial College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and SOAS, University of London. Clearly – despite anxieties about Brexit – London remains thoroughly open to international students.

Learn even more by exploring the QS World University Rankings 2020 in full and let us know your thoughts on this year’s results below.