The latest edition of the QS World University Rankings has been announced with a new methodology.

QS have reduced the weighting given to the Academic Survey, and to Faculty Student Ratio while increasing that for the Employer Survey. In addition, there are three new indicators each with a five per cent weighting, Sustainability, Employment Outcomes, and International Research Network.

The overall effect is to shift the emphasis of these rankings away from research to those metrics related to the perceived employability of graduates. Consequently, there has been a lot of reshuffling among universities especially at the upper levels.  Leading Australian, Canadian, and German universities have risen significantly. In contrast Tsinghua University has fallen from 14^th place to 25^th, the Indian Institute of Science from 155^th to 225^th, and the University of Tokyo from 23^rd to 28^th  place.

The top universities for each indicator are:

Overall; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Academic Reputation; Harvard University, USA

Employer Reputation; Harvard University

Faculty Student Ratio; University of Northern British Columbia, Canada

Citations per Faculty; Harvard University

International Faculty; Al Ain University, UAE

International Students; Macau University of Science and Technology

International Research Network; University of Oxford, UK

Employment Outcomes; Harvard University

Sustainability; University of California Berkeley, USA.

Source

QS TOPUNIVERSITIES