The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) was first published in June 2003 by the Center for World-Class Universities (CWCU), Graduate School of Education (formerly the Institute of Higher Education) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and updated on an annual basis. Since 2009 the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has been published and copyrighted by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Shanghai Ranking Consultancy is a fully independent organization on higher education intelligence and is not legally subordinated to any universities or government agencies. ARWU uses six objective indicators to rank world universities, including the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, the number of highly cited researchers selected by Clarivate, the number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science, the number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded™ and Social Sciences Citation Index™ in the Web of Science™, and per capita performance of a university. More than 2500 universities are actually ranked by ARWU every year and the best 1000 are published.
Methodology 2022
- Candidate Universities
ARWU considers every university that has any Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, Highly Cited Researchers, or papers published in Nature or Science. In addition, universities with a significant amount of papers indexed by the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) are also included. In total, more than 2500 universities are actually ranked, and the best 1000 are published.
2. Ranking Criteria and Weights
Universities are ranked by several academic or research performance indicators, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices, and the per capita academic performance of an institution. For each indicator, the highest-scoring institution is assigned a score of 100, and other institutions are calculated as a percentage of the top score. The data distribution for each indicator is examined for any significant distorting effect; standard statistical techniques are used to adjust the indicator if necessary. Scores for each indicator are weighted as shown below to arrive at a final overall score for an institution. The highest-scoring institution is assigned a score of 100, and other institutions are calculated as a percentage of the top score.
Indicators and Weights for ARWU
Definition of Indicators
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are considered to be the most comprehensive, the most balanced ranking system in the world. It uses 13 separate performance indicators to cover the full range of university activities and their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
It uses five separate indicators to look at the teaching environment of the university, giving a sense of how committed an institution is to nurturing the next generation of academics, a high proportion of postgraduate research students also suggests the provision of teaching at the highest level that is thus attractive to graduates and effective at developing them. It also looks at research excellence, it looks at citations impact. It also looks at universities’ reputations around the world. They look at the universities’ research collaboration, which is the ability to draw international talent among its faculty. They look at the diversity and richness of the student population. Knowledge transfer is a unique feature, it looks at the university interaction within industries, and how successful is it in attracting income from business and industry.
Nature Index
Nature's Patent Metric is a tool that was developed by the scientific journal, Nature, to rank academic institutions based on the number and quality of patents that they have filed. The metric was created as a way to measure the innovative output of academic institutions, and it is calculated based on the number of patents that an institution has filed in the past five years, as well as the quality of those patents.
The Nature Patent Metric is designed to be a more accurate reflection of an institution's innovation output than other metrics, such as the number of research publications or the amount of research funding received. It is believed that patents are a better measure of innovation because they reflect the practical application of research, and they are an indication of the potential economic and social impact of research.
The Nature Patent Metric has been used to rank universities and other academic institutions around the world. The rankings are published annually in the Nature Index, which is a database of research output that is published by the journal Nature. The Nature Index is a tool that is used by researchers, academic institutions, and policymakers to assess the research performance of institutions and to identify potential collaborations and partnerships.
This Index looks at the current state of innovation around the world The Nature Index is a database of author affiliations and institutional relationships. The index tracks contributions to research articles published in 82 high-quality natural science journals, chosen by an independent group of researchers. The Nature Index provides absolute and fractional counts of article publication at the institutional and national level and, as such, is an indicator of global high-quality research output and collaboration.
The Nature Index uses Count and Share to track research output. A country/territory or an institution is given a Count of 1 for each article that has at least one author from that country/territory or institution. This is the case regardless of the number of authors an article has, and it means that the same article can contribute to the Count of multiple countries/territories or institutions.
To glean a country's, territory's, region's or an institution's contribution to an article, and to ensure that they are not counted more than once, the Nature Index uses Share, a fractional count that takes into account the share of authorship on each article.The total Share for an institution is calculated by summing the Share for individual affiliated authors. Adjusted Share accounts for the small annual variation in the total number of articles in the Nature Index journals.
The bilateral collaboration score (CS) between two institutions is the sum of each of their Shares on the papers to which both have contributed. A bilateral collaboration can be between any two institutions or countries/territories co-authoring at least one article in the journals tracked by the Nature Index.
The Nature Index 2022 Innovation supplement uses The Lens database to check the influence of an institution's scholarly works on patents. For each of the leading 500 institutions in the Nature Index (based on Share 2021), its scholarly works between 2000 and 2020 (Scholarly works 2000–20), including journal articles, conference proceeding articles, books and book chapters, were queried from The Lens database.
The unique count of citing patents (Citing patents) was then divided by the total number of scholarly works to measure the institution's influence on patents. Academic, government and NPO/NGO institutions were also extracted from the leading 500 and ranked separately by the metric for each of the three sectors. Citation impact is a measure of how often a patent has been cited by other patents, and it is used as an indicator of the importance and influence of a patent in its field.
The first was the count of the scholarly works between 2000 and 2020 that are cited by patents (Works cited by patents 2000–20). The second was total patent citations (Patent citations), which is the sum of all citations of an institution's scholarly works between 2000 and 2020 in patents.
The tables show the overall institution ranking by patent influence metric as well as the leading institutions in academic, government and NPO/NGO sectors. A Lens input data table lists all the Lens measures, scholarly works, citing patents, works cited by patents and patent citations for each institution.
In conclusion, the Nature Patent Metric is a valuable tool for assessing the innovative output of academic institutions, providing a more accurate reflection of innovation output than other metrics. The Nature Index is a database of research output used to assess research performance and identify potential collaborations and partnerships, tracking contributions to research articles published in high-quality natural science journals. The Nature Index 2022 Innovation supplement uses The Lens database to check the influence of an institution's scholarly works on patents, ranking institutions based on their influence on patents.
Social and economic implications of university rankings
Although there is much discussion around the credibility and reliability of university rankings, it should be noted that they have evolved into important tools for university management and policymakers during the past ten years.Despite these differences, rankings of universities play a significant role in the competitive higher education market today and have increased in visibility and significance.
QS University ranking system takes into account a number of factors that are often overlooked in university rankings, including the “Social Responsibility” and “Inclusiveness” set of criteria, such as “Community investment and development”, “Charity work and disaster relief”, “Regional human capital development”, “Environmental impact”, “Scholarships and bursaries”, “Disabled access”, “Gender balance” and “Low-income outreach”.
In 2019, Times Higher Education (THE) introduced Impact rankings, which measure global universities’ progress towards tackling the world’s greatest challenges, specifically institutions’ success in furthering the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Universities have the potential to make a tremendous impact in their local communities, and many—especially major research institutions—have the resources to extend that impact globally. However, universities must be strategic about their goals across these major areas of social and global impact: from climate change to gender equity to reducing economic inequalities in their communities.
NAFSA, 2022 shows that the nearly one million international students at U.S. colleges and universities contributed $33.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2021-2022 academic year up more than $5.5 billion (or 19%) compared to the prior academic year and supported more than 335,000 jobs. These totals still fall short of the high-water mark set in the 2018-2019 academic year, however, when more than 1 million international students generated $40.5 billion and supported more than 450,000 jobs. NAFSA attributes the loss of approximately $2 billion dollars and 10,568 jobs in the 2021-2022 academic year to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
University rankings, such as Shanghai Ranking’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and QS Ranking, have a significant impact on the economy of a country. These rankings measure the quality of higher education institutions and help prospective students choose the best universities for their academic pursuits. However, the economic impact of university rankings goes beyond education and extends to the broader economy.
Firstly, university rankings contribute to the reputation of a country's education system. Higher education institutions that rank highly in these rankings attract international students and faculty, which in turn brings in revenue for the country. International students pay higher tuition fees, which generates income for universities and creates employment opportunities in the education sector. Moreover, foreign students also spend money on accommodation, food, and other services, contributing to the local economy.
Secondly, university rankings can also help attract foreign investments. International companies looking to invest in a country consider the quality of education provided by its universities. A high ranking of universities in these rankings indicates a skilled and knowledgeable workforce, making the country a desirable location for foreign investment. In turn, foreign investment can create job opportunities and boost the country's economic growth.
Finally, university rankings also drive research and development activities in a country. Higher-ranked universities attract more research grants, funding, and collaborations from international partners, which fosters innovation and technological advancements. The research outcomes generated by universities are often used by industries to develop new products, services, and solutions, which further fuels economic growth.
In conclusion, university rankings have a significant impact on the economic growth of a country. A country's higher education institutions' reputation affects the influx of international students, foreign investments, and research collaborations, ultimately contributing to the country's economic growth.
University rankings have become an increasingly important part of the global higher education landscape. In recent years, various university rankings such as the Shanghai Ranking’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and QS Ranking have gained significant importance in shaping the perception of higher education institutions around the world. The social impact of university rankings is multifaceted and has both positive and negative implications.
Positive social impacts:
- Increased competition: University rankings encourage universities to compete with each other to improve their ranking, which can lead to higher quality education, better facilities, and more research funding.
- Better student choices: University rankings help students to make informed decisions about where to pursue their education by providing them with information about the quality and reputation of universities.
- Improved global reputation: A higher ranking can improve the global reputation of a university, which can attract more international students and researchers.
- Increased accountability: University rankings encourage universities to be more transparent and accountable in their activities, including research, teaching, and community engagement.
Negative social impacts:
- Pressure to focus on rankings: Universities may be pressured to prioritize their ranking over other important activities such as research, teaching, and community engagement.
- Inequality: University rankings may perpetuate existing inequalities by favoring well-established and well-funded universities, which may disadvantage smaller or less well-known universities, particularly those from developing countries.
- Narrow criteria: University rankings often use a narrow set of criteria, such as research output and reputation, which may not reflect the diverse missions of universities, including community engagement and social impact.
- Overemphasis on research: University rankings often prioritize research output, which may overlook the importance of teaching and other activities that are critical to the overall quality of education.
While university rankings have become an important part of the global higher education landscape, their social impact is complex and multifaceted. While they encourage competition, accountability, and better student choices, they may also exacerbate inequality and overemphasize research at the expense of other important activities. It is therefore important to approach university rankings with a critical perspective and to use them as one of many sources of information when making decisions about higher education.
