QS World University Rankings 2024

Context:

2024 edition of the QS World Ranking for the Universities has been released, recently.

Relevance:

GS II: Education

Dimensions of the Article:

1. QS World University Rankings
2. Key Highlights of the QS World University Rankings 2024

QS World University Rankings:

• The QS World University Rankings are annual rankings released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
• These rankings aim to evaluate and compare the performance and quality of universities worldwide.
• The methodology used by QS takes into account various indicators, including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, employer reputation, sustainability, employment outcomes, international research network, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio.
• In addition to the overall rankings, QS also provides rankings by subject, region, student city, business school, and sustainability, catering to specific areas of interest and focus.

Key Highlights of the QS World University Rankings 2024

Overview

• The 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject offer an independent analysis of over 16,400 individual university programs.
• These rankings encompass more than 1,500 universities across 95 countries and territories, spanning 56 academic disciplines and five main faculty areas: Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Indian Universities in the Rankings

• A total of 69 Indian universities are featured in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, with 424 entries.
• This marks a 19.4% increase from the previous year’s 355 entries.
• JNU is India’s top-ranked university in development studies, securing 20th place globally as a new entrant in this field.
  • IIM-Ahmedabad ranks second globally for business and management studies (22nd position).
  • Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences is 24th globally in dentistry.

Asian Rankings

• In Asia, India is the second-most represented country with 69 universities, following China with 101.
• India ranks fourth in the number of subject entries, trailing China, Japan, and South Korea.

Most Represented Indian Universities

• Delhi University (DU) leads with 30 entries.
• IIT-Bombay follows with 28 entries.
• IIT-Kharagpur is next with 27 entries.

Research Insights

• India is now the world’s fourth-largest research producer, contributing 1.3 million academic papers in 2023-24.
  • It trails behind China (4.5m), the US (4.4m), and the UK (1.4m).
• The international research network indicator has grown by 16%, indicating an increase in the volume and diversity of research partnerships.
• However, there was a 5% decline in the index measuring the balance between research productivity and impact.

Overall Research Trends

• India is emerging as one of the fastest-growing research hubs globally.
  • Research output in India surged by 54% from 2017 to 2022, more than doubling the global average and surpassing Western counterparts.
  • India is close to surpassing the UK in research productivity.
  • In terms of research impact, based on citation count, India ranks ninth globally for the period 2017-2022.
  • To continue this momentum, focusing on producing high-quality, impactful research and disseminating it within the academic community is crucial.

-Source: The Hindu, Indian Express