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QS World University Rankings methodology: Using rankings to start your university search
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QS World University Rankings methodology: Using rankings to start your university search
Craig OCallaghan
Updated Jun 04, 2024Save
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The 21st edition of the QS World University Rankings features over 1,500 institutions and is the only ranking of its kind to emphasise employability and sustainability.
The results draw on the analysis of 17.5m academic papers and the expert opinions of over 240,000 academic faculty and employers. Massachusetts Institute of Technology celebrates thirteen years at the top, while Imperial College London has climbed to second place.
Since our 2024 edition, we have incorporated three new indicators into the QS World University Ranking.
Sustainability
Sustainability has become a touchpoint for global institutions as they come to realise their impact on the world, and students have come to expect institutions to tackle issues related to social and climate justice.
We have recognised this call to action by adding a five percent weight Sustainability lens to our flagship world ranking, the first of the major rankings to do so to reflect the crucial role universities play in charting the course and driving change towards a more sustainable future.
Employment outcomes
We have also continued to strengthen our insight on employability and remain the only major ranking to enshrine the importance of employability in our methodology. To do this, we have boosted the weight of Employer Reputation to 15 percent and added Employment Outcomes at five percent.
International research network
Our third new metric, International Research Network, is another way of recognising the importance of research in changing the world. This metric specifically provides insight on how internationally connected an institution’s research is as well as recognising the importance of collaborative research more broadly.
Read more on the QSIU Support blog.
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As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.
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