Showing posts with label Quacquarelli Symonds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quacquarelli Symonds. Show all posts

14 May 2014

India moves towards world-class recognition for its universities

Indian institutions are increasingly seeing international rankings as a benefit, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which has just published the Asian Universities Ranking for 2014. There are 17 Indian universities in the list this year compared with 11 last year. 

Source: QS website.

The latest table shows a marginal decline in the positions occupied by most of the country’s leading institutions. But an increase of more than 50% in India’s overall representation offers hopeful signs for the future.

As in the previous editions of the ranking, the Indian Institutes of Technology lead the way. IIT Delhi holds on to 38th place, pulling clear of IIT Bombay in 41st. Five other IITs feature in the top 100, led by Kanpur and Madras just outside the top 50.

In the latest Asian ranking, Banaras Hindu University, Panjab, Manipal and Amity universities, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, and the Indian Institute of Information Technology all appear for the first time. With seven IITs among the leading eight institutions, the top levels of Indian higher education remain much stronger in science and technology than in the arts and social sciences.

“The IITs have a great reputation among graduate employers, and now produce a relatively high volume of research, but it is not yet having a significant impact in terms of citations,” says QS Head of research Ben Sowter. 

“India’s improved strength in depth is a sign of progress, but there is a long way to go before the IITs can compete with the very best institutions in Asia. India’s tally of two institutions in the top 50 places it behind Japan (no. 13), China (no. 9), South Korea (no. 9), Hong Kong (no. 6) and Taiwan (no. 6), and level with Singapore and Thailand.”

Amongst traditional universities, University of Delhi takes the lead at 81, having slipped one place since last year. It is ranked in the top 25 in Asia by employers and the top 40 by academics, but is handicapped in some other indicators by its large size and low levels of international faculty and student exchange. Only the University of Calcutta ranks highly on students’ exchanges, coming second in Asia for outbound exchanges and 52nd for inbound.

Top 10 Indian universities in the QS University Rankings: Asia 2014

2014
rank
2013
rank
 Name
38
38
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DELHI (IITD)
41
39
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BOMBAY (IITB)
52
51
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KANPUR (IITK)
53
49
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS (IITM)
60
58
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR (IITKGP)
70
66
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE (IITR)
81
80
UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
95
89
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GUWAHATI (IITG)
131
143
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA
131
140
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2014

To view all the 17 Indian universities in the rankings: www.TopUniversities.com

At the ICAA Rankings & Excellence Dialogue, MHRD Secretary Ashok Thakur said that India must create 40 million university places to meet demand. “We can’t afford to miss out on India’s demographic dividend,” he said. “But it’s not just about numbers, it’s about quality.”

Thakur has said that Indian institutions must no longer hide behind the “excuse” that the global ranking metrics and indicators are not suited to them. “We must play the same game that the rest of the world is playing,” he said.

The Indian Centre for Assessment and Accreditation (ICAA), which is hosting the launch of the QS University Rankings: Asia in New Delhi, has partnered with KPMG in India to help Indian universities understand ranking methodologies and present their data effectively. 

“The quality of Indian universities - particularly the top 20% - is underestimated by international rankings for very many reasons,” Mohandas Pai, Chairman, ICAA says. “Sadly, Indian universities do not seem to consider international rankings important and many do not even attempt to consolidate and share in the public domain full and up-to-date information about their performance or their functioning. The availability of information is therefore a challenge for a ranking organisation.”


"The single most imperative goal ICAA aims to achieve by 2025 is to witness the entry of at least five of our elite universities in the Top 200 World University Rankings," said A Jeyaprakash, Vice Chairman, ICAA.

Narayanan Ramaswamy, Partner and Head - Education, KPMG in India adds: "India is known the world over for its academic prowess but need of the hour is to reflect this notion into global rankings. Indians graduating from premier universities in India have made their mark all around the globe. 

"These leading universities need to project themselves as world-class institutions. That calls for rapid innovation, with universities cooperating and actively networking with their peers and competitors. Rankings can create more awareness among the Indian universities on what they need to focus on to improve their performance and gain a greater international standing.”
 
Dr Karthick Sridhar, ICAA’s Vice-Chairman, said: “India is expected to be a US$10 trillion economy by 2030, from the present US$2 trillion. It will also be the most populous nation with over 130 million people in the college-going age bracket, so we need different higher educational institutions to cater to the varying needs of industry and personal aspirations. 

"We need to define the goal of each institution and measure outcomes and impact based on the goal. It is necessary that the better ones focus more on research, attract global talent and aspire for higher rankings and continue to shine a light of excellence on the global scale. Proactive participation in global rankings is therefore a necessity.” 

13 May 2014

Singapore, Korea top Asian university rankings this year

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has been named Asia’s top institution for the first time in the QS University Rankings: Asia 2014 published today at www.topuniversities.com. The rankings reflect a swing in the balance of power as Singapore and Korea overtake Japan and Hong Kong.  

Source: QS website.

NUS’ success is mirrored by Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which is 7th, its highest-ever position. Korea’s KAIST climbs from sixth to second place, while Seoul National University (no. 4) and Postech (no. 9) are also in the top 10. 

Thirteen of the Chinese top 20 institutions have improved their position this year on the back of increased research citations. Peking University slips three places to 7th, while Tsinghua University remains 14th. 

Government funding for research and development has increased by an average of 23% per year on average for the past decade, with a further 8.9% increase to a record US$43.6 billion announced in Premier Li Keqiang’s first budget in March this year.

“Government investment in scientific research is starting to pay dividends, with the majority of Chinese institutions increasing both the volume and impact of their research in recent years,” says QS Head of research Ben Sowter. “However, in terms of citations Peking and Tsinghua are still playing catch-up with institutions such as National University of Singapore and University of Hong Kong.”

India’s ranked institutions rise to 17 from 11 last year but seven of its top eight institutions dropped in rank. IIT Delhi is the top performer at 38th.

Last year’s number one institution, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, drops to 5th while the 2011 table-topper Hong Kong University drops one place to third, making this the first time in the rankings’ history that a Hong Kong university has not topped the table.

This edition of the rankings is the first to be influenced by the restructuring of undergraduate programmes from three to four years which has had a varied effect on the faculty student ratios of Hong Kong’s universities as they have all been required to enrol a double cohort of students from Fall 2012. Further adjustments are expected over the next two years as the Hong Kong system adapts to this reform.

 “Japan’s University of Tokyo falls to 10th, its lowest ever position. Though the drops for Japanese universities this year are small, they continue a trend that is observable over the past three or four years,” says Sowter. “The after-effects of the financial crisis have made it harder for Japan to keep up with the improvements made by Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and China.”

The sector has faced a series of funding cuts since 2007, most recently in the form of an across-the-board reduction of public sector salaries in February 2012, at a time when several other countries in the region have made major investments.

“Both NUS and KAIST have benefitted from major government investment in research; while operating in English has helped them attain new levels of global engagement,” said Sowter.

NUS and NTU are currently benefitting from a S$16.1 billion government scheme to improve their performance in science, technology and innovation, while Korea now spends 3.6% of its GDP on research and development, among the highest in the OECD.

Other top performers by country:
Taiwan: National Taiwan University, 21st
Malaysia: Universiti Malaya, 31st
Thailand: Mahidol University, 40th
Philippines: University of the Philippines, 63rd
Indonesia: University of Indonesia, 71st
QS University Rankings: Asia 2014 - Top 10

2014
2013
Institutions
Country/ Territory
RANK
RANK
  1 
2
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (NUS)
SG
  2 
6
KAIST - KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
KR
  3 
2
UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG (HKU)
HK
  4 
4
SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (SNU)
KR
  5 
1
THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE  AND  TECHNOLOGY (HKUST)
HK
  6 
7
THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG (CUHK)
HK
  7 
10
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU)
SG
  8 
5
PEKING UNIVERSITY
CN
  9 
7
POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY    (POSTECH)
KR
  10 
9
THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
JP
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2014 www.TopUniversities.com
To view the complete ranking - Top 300 Asian universities - visit www.TopUniversities.comRead more about the methodology here