Policies and Guidelines for the Inclusion of Institutions

by Baerbel Eckelmann

As QSIU’s Research Manager I am frequently approached by institutions which voice their interest in participating in our rankings projects.

One of the first challenges for QS was and still is to identify an initial list of institutions to study further. Easily overlooked but yet crucial for the success of the project are policies and guidelines for the inclusion of institutions. Only by observing them we are able to keep the project in its feasible frame and to execute a meaningful methodology.

Beginning with the world's top 500 universities based on citations per paper, the list has evolved since 2004.

So, how can a university get onto our initial list or ‘Master’ list as we also call it?

Level

• The university must run undergraduate AND graduate/postgraduate programs.

Faculty

• The university must run programs that objectively qualify under more than one of our 5 subject areas (Arts & Humanities, Engineering & IT, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences)

Please note: Running a joint diploma with another school DOES NOT qualify the school as being active in the subject area offered by the other school.

Cooperation to provide accurate data

Universities are expected to provide us with accurate data. Please note that the figures should be based on the last annual reporting period (the last complete academic, financial or calendar year, whichever is easier to provide).

For example, the university will need to be able to answer questions regarding:

Faculty statistics

• Number of faculty staff (full-time/part-time/headcount/FTE)

• Number of international faculty staff (full-time/part-time/headcount/FTE)

Undergraduate statistics

• Number of undergraduate students (full-time/part-time/headcount/FTE)

• Number of international undergraduate students(full-time/part-time/headcount/FTE)

Postgraduate statistics

• Number of postgraduate students (full-time/part-time/headcount/FTE)

• Number of international postgraduate students(full-time/part-time/headcount/FTE)

We require the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) figure for all personnel related statistics.

Justification to participate in our ranking

The university should provide us with an argument/statement of why the institution should be included based on objective comparison between their university and other institutions (in their country/region) that are already included in the top 500.

The university should also refer to inclusion in any domestic ranking if available and appropriate.

Additional Stimuli we take into consideration

• Survey Performance – respondents to the Academic and Employer Reputation Surveys are invited to suggest any institutions they feel may have been omitted

• Geographical Balancing – acknowledging that universities have different priorities and characteristics in different parts of the world, the balance of institutions from given countries and regions is periodically reviewed

Upon receiving all the necessary information from the interested participant, a member of our QS Intelligence Unit will contact the university on whether they are eligible to participate in the ranking.