.jpeg)
University rankings vs ratings: What's the difference?
24 November 2025
Insights
Capabilities
Conferences
University rankings vs ratings: What's the difference?
At QS, we rank and rate institutions, but what is the difference between the two - and how can they work together to support your internationalisation goals? In an increasingly competitive global higher education landscape, institutions need more than a single indicator of performance. While rankings remain one of the most visible measures of global standing, relying on rankings alone may not provide the full picture of an institution’s strengths.
This is why QS provides both rankings and ratings - complementary tools that together offer a broader view of institutional performance. Rankings demonstrate how universities perform relative to their peers, while ratings highlight specific areas of excellence that matter to students, partners, and policymakers.
Used together, they form part of a wider QS performance framework that helps institutions understand their global position while showcasing their unique strengths.
Rankings show who has performed the best
A university ranking’s primary function is to show which institution has performed the best. Using a well-established methodology, institutions are ranked in comparison to their peers.
The QS World University Rankings compare universities based on a range of criteria - including academic reputation, employer reputation, and sustainability. Based on their performance in these indicators, our experts place universities in order.
Students, prospective partners, and governments can then gain a clear measure of global standing. As a result, rankings provide a powerful snapshot of an institution’s academic strength and international competitiveness.
Ratings show who’s good at what
While rankings provide a comparative benchmark, ratings offer deeper insight into institutional performance.
The QS rating system - QS Stars - works more like an audit. Instead of comparing institutions against one another, universities are assessed against a set of global standards in areas that matter to students and partners, including learning experience, sustainability, and graduate outcomes.
After being assessed using more extensive data than the QS World University Rankings, universities receive an overall QS Stars rating, as well as ratings across individual categories, each scored out of five stars.
This means every institution has the opportunity to achieve the highest QS Stars rating and highlight areas of excellence beyond traditional ranking metrics. After all, every place of learning contributes something unique to the global higher education ecosystem.
The QS Stars badge
QS Stars is an internationally recognised mark of quality and can be used to refine an institution’s performance strategy, promote the university globally, and attract more students and education partners.
Within the wider QS performance framework, QS Stars enables institutions to communicate their strengths in a clear and structured way.
Whether you're ranked or not, QS Stars can add value
Not currently ranked?
Universities do not need to be ranked to participate in QS Stars. For institutions building towards future rankings participation, QS Stars can provide an opportunity to gain independent assessment and recognition within approximately six months, while developing a longer-term rankings strategy.
Already ranked?
QS Stars provides a different perspective, helping demonstrate strengths and areas of performance that may not be fully reflected in an overall ranking position.
A complementary suite
The QS World University Rankings and QS Stars work best when used together.
A strong ranking position strengthens an institution’s global recognition and signals academic prestige. Meanwhile, a QS Stars rating provides a deeper understanding of institutional strengths and highlights distinctive features that may not be captured by rankings alone.
Together, they allow institutions to tell a more complete story about their performance using indicators that are widely recognised across the world.
58% of students polled said they would be likely or very likely to consider applying to a university that ranks lower but performs strongly across key areas.
By combining QS Stars to showcase distinctive strengths with QS World University Rankings to demonstrate global standing, institutions can build a more compelling narrative for students, partners, and policymakers.
.webp)
