University rankings have been stirring up debate for a good few years, but everyone knows that going to university is about more than just choosing the most famous or prestigious institution. While we all naturally base much of our decision-making on identifying the best university and degree program, the city in which you choose to

The first global ranking of student cities will be published by QS during February, in response to worldwide demand for more independent information on the locations of the leading universities. Surveys of international students, in particular, have shown that location is second only to the perceived quality of a university and its courses as an

By Martin Ince, convener of the QS Academic Advisory Board [imageright]https://www.qs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/japan-flag-e1328553574514.jpg[/imageright] Japan is a safe, developed country whose culture has global appeal, an international centre for design and style. Just the place that students might flock to from around the world. Except that they don’t. As Japan’s university profile shows, Japanese universities do well on

By John O’Leary, QS Academic Advisory Board Ministers in the UK have become the latest to use QS rankings as a measure of universities’ performance.  David Willetts, who is responsible for higher education in England, has challenged the country’s universities to win more places in the top 100 of the QS, Times Higher Education and

By John O’Leary, executive member of the QS Global Academic Advisory Board   Universities in seven Arab countries have been classified as part of an international project that is intended to lead to a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of higher education across the Middle East and North Africa. The Institute of International

By Martin Ince, convener of the QS Global Academic Advisory Board   At the QS World University Rankings®, we are always keen to see how other people go about looking at universities. This month has been notable for the appearance of the Leiden ranking, which offers a highly specific view of academic excellence as expressed

by Martin Juno Broadly speaking, higher education systems range from those relaying almost entirely on public funding to those mainly supported by private sources. Of course, there are a variety of options between those extreme points and most countries try mixed schemes. Which system provides the better outcomes in terms of university teaching and research

  The US has always been popular with overseas students, perpetually leading international student population tables. The world sat up and paid attention, therefore, when it was revealed that, though total enrolment went up by 3%, new international student numbers increased by only a worrying 1% in 2009-10. This year’s Open Doors report, from the