QS World University Rankings: Methodology

The Research and Discovery lens measures both an institution's research quality, volume, and its reputation in the academic community. 

Institutions who score highly in this lens are likely to be producing high volumes of research output, have research which is widely cited by other academics, and will have built a reputation in the academic community to reflect this. 

Academic reputation 

The Academic Reputation (AR) indicator measures the reputation of institutions and their programmes by asking academic experts to nominate universities based on their subject area of expertise. Pioneered by QS in 2004, it asks the question: which universities are demonstrating academic excellence? 

To answer this we collect and distil the collective intelligence of academics from around the world via our Academic Survey, evaluating nominations for approximately 7000 institutions each year. 

The indicator not only illuminates the quality of an institution's research, but also their approach to academic partnerships, their strategic impact, their educational innovativeness and the impact they have made on education and society at large. 

The indicator is the centrepiece of almost all of the rankings across the QS portfolio. It carries a weighting of 30% in the flagship QS World University Rankings. 

Citations per faculty 

The Citations per Faculty (CPF) indicator is a measure of the relative intensity and volume of research being done at an institution. 

The indicator is a reflection of the volume of citations being achieved on average by an institution's academic staff. A higher volume of citations suggests that academics at those institutions are publishing in respected journals, engaging in strong collaboration and working on topics that merit a wide readership. 

The citation count is divided by the number of individuals in the faculty in order to take into account different sizes of institution. 

The Employability and Outcomes lens measures how well an institution prepares its graduates for employment, as well as the links it has to industry and its reputation outside of academia. 

Institutions who score highly in this lens are likely to have a strong reputation among employers, have a track record of graduates who go on to success in their field, have good rates of graduate employability, and established links with industry partners. 

Employer reputation 

The Employer Reputation (ER) indicator measures the reputation of institutions and their programmes among employers. We remain the only major ranking to focus on this vital aspect of a student's educational journey.  

To measure this we collect the views of employers from around the world via our Employer Survey. 

The majority of undergraduate students leave university in search of employment after their first degree, making the reputation of their university amongst employers a crucial consideration. 

The indicator is a key part of almost all of the rankings across the QS portfolio. It carries a weighting of 15% in the flagship QS World University Rankings.  

Employment outcomes 

The Employment Outcomes (EO) indicator measures to what degree institutions can ensure a high level of employability for their graduates, and their record in producing graduates that have gone on to make a meaningful impact on society. 

For many students a successful career is the primary goal of their university education and therefore is important to measure an institution's track record in this field. 

Equally an institution who produces graduates who go on to achieve success in fields such as the arts, politics, business etc. can point to their role in the development of those careers. 

The Learning Experience lens aims to reflect the overall learning environment provided by a higher education institution to its students, through the level of support it offers all its students regardless of socioeconomic background. 

Institutions who score highly in this lens are likely to have more academic staff resources available to students and to hire high quality research staff. 

Faculty student ratio 

The Faculty-Student Ratio (FSR) indicator is a measure of the number of academic staff that an institution has to teach its students. 

The more academic staff resources are made available to students, for teaching, supervision, curriculum development, and pastoral support, the better the learning experience should be. 

The indicator is calculated by dividing the number of faculty staff by the number of students. 

The Global Engagement lens aims to reflect the overall internationalization of higher education institutions, measuring an institution’s international outlook in terms of foreign students, staff and its research links outside its own location. 

Institutions who score highly in this lens are likely to provide a more culturally diverse experience to students and staff, and be more connected to international networks of academic mobility and research. 

International Faculty Ratio 

The International Faculty Ratio (IFR) indicator looks at the ratio of international faculty staff to overall staff. 

An institution attracting a sizeable population of international academics sees benefits in terms of its research and teaching diversity and collaborations. 

In addition if an institution is attracting a sizeable number of overseas staff it suggests that it has a positive reputation and is viewed as a good place to work. 

Institutions with high numbers of international staff can also benefit from wider international research networks due to the connections that their international academics bring with them, so a high score in this indicator hints at an open and collaborative academic environment. 

International Research Network 

International Research Network (IRN) is a measure of an institution's success in creating and sustaining research partnerships with institutions in other locations. 

The indicator measures how diverse and rich an institution's research network is by looking at the number of different countries represented, and whether these relationships are renewed and repeated. 

We only consider sustained partnerships, defined as those which result in three or more joint papers published in a five-year period. 

International Student Diversity 

The International Student Diversity (ISD) indicator looks at the ratio of international students to overall students as well as the diversity of nationalities that those students are from. 

The indicator is an evolution of the International Student Ratio (ISR) indicator, with the aim of measuring not only the size of an institution's international student body, but also how successful the institution is at attracting students from a wide range of different countries and backgrounds. 

If an institution is attracting a sizeable population of international students from a variety of nationalities this has benefits in terms of networking, cultural exchanges, a more diverse learning experience and alumni diversity. 

In addition, if an institution is attracting a sizeable number and diverse range of international students it suggests that it has a positive reputation and is viewed as a good place to study.  

This can be reinforced if graduates return to their home country with a positive experience to relay to future prospective students. 

International Student Ratio 

The International Student Ratio (ISR) indicator looks at the ratio of international students to overall students. 

If an institution is attracting a sizeable population of international students this has benefits in terms of networking, cultural exchanges, a more diverse learning experience, and alumni diversity. 

In addition if an institution is attracting a sizeable number of overseas students it suggests that it has a positive reputation and is viewed as a good place to study. 

This can be reinforced if graduates return to their home country with a positive experience to relay to future prospective students. 

Sustainability provides students with a unique lens on which institutions are demonstrating a commitment to a more sustainable existence. 

Sustainability 

The Sustainability (SUS) indicator highlights which institutions are demonstrating a commitment to a more sustainable existence, and encompasses a variety of factors across environmental, social and governance (ESG). 

This includes everything from environmental projects on campus, through to diversity initiatives, institutional governance, and the impact of academic research across the UN's 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs).  

It evaluates the social and environmental impact of universities as not only centres of education and research, but also as major employers. 

Sustainability is an increasingly important issue for students when picking a study destination and QS is proud to be the first major university ranking provider to include it as an indicator in our core rankings.