“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Grown-ups often ask children this question. You will receive different answers.
“One day I’ll grow up and study abroad.” Some may come up with a more definite answer.
“I want to study at MIT to be an engineer”. Or “I want to join Johns Hopkins and be a doctor”.
As they grow up, they continue to pursue their dreams. They study hard and achieve excellent results. After finishing the Higher Secondary exam, they need to make the most important decision. To choose the best university possible. This decision can determine the track of their whole career. Higher education is expensive. Before investing money in a degree, it’s important to understand its acceptance in the job market. Employers may not even bother to see one’s resume if they have not graduated from a recognized University.
Why should you care about QS Ranking?
To know which University is worth your money and time, the QS Ranking is a very important indicator. The QS ranking is an international ranking system for universities all over the world.
What is QS ranking?
QS is the short form of Quacquarelli Symonds. It is a UK‐based company that publishes annual rankings of universities around the world. The QS World University Rankings is their flagship ranking list. It compares universities globally. It takes the following elements into account.
- Measures of teaching
- Research
- Reputation
- Internationalisation
- Employability
There are also more specialised QS rankings: by subject, by region, etc.
QS Ranking Criteria & Ranking Methodology
If you want to understand QS ranking, you have to know the indicators they use. You need to know how those indicators are weighted and how data is collected. This helps you interpret the ranking better.
Indicators & Lenses
QS uses a set of metrics grouped under several lenses. As of the latest update, the main lenses are:
- Research and Discovery
- Employability and Outcomes
- Learning Experience
- Global Engagement
- Sustainability
Each lens consists of specific indicators (sub‐metrics). Here are the indicators and their weightings in the latest methodology:
| Lens | Indicators within that lens | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Research & Discovery | Academic Reputation (how academics view the university) + Citations per Faculty (how often research is cited, adjusted per faculty) | 50% total (Academic Reputation 30%, Citations per Faculty 20%) |
| Employability & Outcomes | Employer Reputation + Employment Outcomes | 20% (Employer Reputation 15%, Employment Outcomes 5%) |
| Learning Experience | Faculty / Student Ratio | 10% |
| Global Engagement | International Faculty Ratio + International Research Network + International Student Ratio | 15% (each of those sub‐indicators has some share) |
| Sustainability | A newer indicator, looking at how universities contribute to and manage sustainability issues | 5% |
Other Key Aspects of the Methodology
- Data Sources: QS uses several data sources, including surveys (of academics for academic reputation, and of employers for employer reputation), bibliometric data about research (e.g. number of publications, citations), and institutional data submitted by the universities themselves.
- Normalization & Eligibility: To fairly compare universities, data is normalized (for example, citations per faculty), and there are eligibility criteria (number of faculties, research output, etc.). Universities with a smaller scale may have special thresholds.
- Annual updates: The methodology is reviewed periodically — weights and indicators may shift slightly to reflect changes in what’s considered important in higher education. For example, recent changes added Sustainability, International Research Network, and refined International Student Diversity, etc.
QS World University Rankings: What Students & Parents Should Know
What the rankings measure (and what they don’t), what matters, and how to use them sensibly.
What they measure well:
- Research strength & reputation: If you want a university strong in research, QS gives good signals via citations + reputation indicators.
- Global outlook: QS takes into account how many international students study in a university. They also consider faculty diversity, and research collaborations across countries.
- Employability: How employers perceive graduates from that university, and how well graduates fare in job outcomes.
Cautions:
- As we all know, no survey is error-free. They depend on who responds, their knowledge, and possible biases. A university with strong marketing or visibility may score well even if the ground reality in student experience or teaching isn’t as strong.
- Citation metrics favour research‐intensive universities. These tend to under‐represent the humanities or social sciences, where publication and citation patterns are different.
- Counting of students/faculty, international ratios, etc. QS looks at how many students there are compared to how many faculty members (the faculty–student ratio). A low ratio suggests smaller classes, but it doesn’t always mean teaching quality is better.
QS measures how many international students and teachers are at a university. A high percentage makes the university look “global”. However, this should not be enough to impress you. Try to know how foreign students are treated there. The number of foreign students has little to do with the quality of education.
Why QS World University Rankings Matter
- Students use QS rankings to compare Universities all over the world. It’s especially important to students who want to study abroad.
- Universities themselves care: ranking improves visibility, helps in attracting students, faculty, partnerships, and funding.
- QS rankings help students know which university is best for which subjects.
How to Use QS Rankings Smartly
- Overall rank is not the only thing to care about. You should also check the scores for teaching quality and other important aspects.
- Check rankings by subject if you know what you want to study. Universities can be excellent in your subject even if their overall rank is lower.
- Check recent trends. A university that is improving steadily might be a better bet than one that is dropping or fluctuating.
- Combine QS with other sources. Look also at rankings by other organisations (THE, ARWU, etc.), but also talk to current students, check course content, fees, living costs, scholarships, student support, etc.
Example & Further Reading
To see the latest list of the Top 100 universities in the world, you can check this page: Top 100 universities in the world (this gives a specific list that you might compare with the QS list to evaluate what others say).