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Jagpreet
20 December, 2024
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Imagine taking the biggest decision of your life; choosing the right university is just the one. It is like picking the best movie from the endless options on Netflix. Sometimes, you choose the movie with the highest viewer ratings; sometimes, the audience reviews get you to the screen. Just like this, you see the rankings when preparing for higher education. In higher education, QS World University is like the Oscars of academia. QS has a much wider scope and boundaries than the NAAC grading system and other national-level ranking systems. Let’s understand every bit of the QS World University Rankings in this and learn how they influence student choices globally.
Established by Quacquarelli Symonds in 1990, the QS World University Rankings are the most prestigious and influential global university rankings. Like any quality assurance metric for your packed food product, QS rankings provide a comprehensive view of the university’s academic performance. This ranking system assesses the institutions’ performance based on various indicators. Each indicator contributes to the overall score, which will eventually determine the university’s rank.
The QS World University Rankings portfolio has become the most popular comparison metric to measure university performance. Top universities like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT also follow these rankings. Many Indian universities are also a part of these rankings.
Many of you might be wondering why QS rankings are important and how they influence student choice. Let’s uncover this below.
QS World University Rankings are a benchmark for the quality and performance of a university. These rankings are highly regarded by students globally, faculty, and academicians. High overall scores and rankings showcase the academic standards of the university. The QS Rankings offer a reliable framework for promoting and assessing higher education quality.
The question is, why do QS World Rankings hold such power? Here’s your answer:
Global Reputation and Visibility: These world university rankings are a universal language to assess the quality standards of universities globally. The higher the university’s ranking, the higher its stature in the academic sphere.
Reliable Decision-Making Tool: For students, the academic rankings give you clarity in the pool of options. It is an easy way to shortlist the most suitable university.
Investment Validation: QS World University Rankings would give students assurance about their investment and give confidence that the returns would be good.
While looking out for your ideal college or university, here are some of the ranking indicators that you should consider before all:
The shelf life of your packed food influences your choice; similarly, the QS Rankings are for students. They have a huge impact on the student’s choices and decisions. Let’s have a clear understanding here:
Impacts Course Selection: Apart from the overall rankings, QS also provides subject-wise rankings. If you are planning to take an MBA course, you can check the QS subject-wise ranking. It makes it easy to assess the quality of a particular programme in different universities. Sometimes, the MBA programme might be better than the agriculture course at the university. Every university is different.
Helps Choose the Best University: When you have a uniform code to measure different things, it becomes convenient to choose. Moreover, this would be your informed decision with assurance of quality education.
Effect on International Student Mobility: As per various reports, it is observed that most students from India, China, and Nigeria rely heavily on QS World University Rankings. Universities with good rankings witness a higher footfall of students.
Financial Decisions: Universities with higher ranks are perceived to have a better return on investment. So, students are ready to pay even the premium cost of such institutions. They use higher QS Rankings to justify the cost.
Encourages Long-Term Planning: QS Rankings are a benchmark for the future course of action. Studying at a globally ranked institution puts you on the global map. Following this, your chance of getting hired by top companies or the best schools for further studies becomes easy. So, your long-term plan is sorted after this.
Here is the list of institutions with the highest ranks worldwide and in India based on QS World University Rankings.
| Name of the Institution | QS World University Rank |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 |
| Imperial College London | 2 |
| University of Oxford | 3 |
| Harvard University | 4 |
| University of Cambridge | 5 |
| Stanford University | 6 |
| ETH Zurich | 7 |
| National University of Singapore | 8 |
| UCL, London | 9 |
| California Institute of Technology | 10 |
| Name of the Institution | QS World University Rank |
|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay | 118 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi | 150 |
| Indian Institute of Science | 211 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur | 222 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Madras | 227 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur | 328 |
| University of Delhi | 328 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee | 335 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati | 344 |
| Anna University | 383 |
Having global rankings in front of you does not mean blindly following those numbers. Among countless options, they are guiding lights for you, so use them efficiently. Here’s a quick view of how you can use them.
Understand the Parameters: You should be aware of all the parameters of the QS Rankings and prioritise the ones closely related to your goals.
Go Beyond Rankings: Rankings are a valuable tool, but they are not the sole determinants. Connect with the alumni, explore the curriculum, and get a more holistic view of the university despite the good rankings.
Check Regional Rankings: Before making any decision, consider regional rankings. QS also offers regional rankings, which can be used.
While NAAC and QS World serve the same purpose, they differ significantly on some fronts, like scope and impact. In India, the NAAC grading ranking is followed mostly, although it is perceived that NAAC is becoming obsolete.
| Parameters | QS Rankings | NAAC Grading |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Global perspective and international influence | National perspective and domestic influence |
| Evaluation and Criteria | Academic reputation, employer reputation, student/faculty ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio | Institutional infrastructure, teaching-learning processes, student support and progression, research and consultancy, governance and leadership, and innovations and best practices |
| Impact and Recognition | Global recognition and student recruitment | National recognition and quality assurance |
The QS rankings are an essential segment of the higher education landscape. It is like a trusted movie critic who guides you to institutions that promise you a bright future. However, you must remember that these rankings are a piece of the puzzle and by balancing QS insights with personal research, you can make an informed choice. So, it is always suggested that you thoroughly research before you reach any conclusion and don’t just rely on rankings.
