4 Ways for Postgraduates to Hack University Rankings

If you’re considering studying a Masters, you might begin your search by consulting one of the various global university league tables. Although these rankings aren’t postgraduate-specific, they can be a good way of working out which countries and universities offer the best experiences for Masters students.

We’re going to highlight the metrics that should matter most to postgraduates, reconfiguring one of the most prominent rankings – the Times Higher Education World University Rankings – to show some of the top international destinations and research hotspots.

Not sure where in the world you’d like to study? This table compiles the top 10 countries according to the number of institutions they have in the Times Higher Education ranking, giving you an idea of the main global academic powerhouses.

Spanning four continents, these nations contain a few surprises. Of course, usual suspects like the USA, the UK and Germany are at the top, but relatively small countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and Hong Kong also feature, suggesting that they punch above their weight on the world scene.

One of the metrics that the Times Higher Education uses in its rankings is ‘internationalisation', which measures the proportion of international staff and students at a university, as well as international collaboration. This means that it can be a good way of working out which countries and universities are particularly ‘international’ – we’ve listed the top 10 countries below.

As you can see, there are a few nations that didn’t feature in our first table: New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and France. There are also a couple of conspicuous absences – can you pick them out?

All in all, this metric should give you an idea of which universities and countries have an especially global outlook – and where could make for a particularly diverse study abroad destination.

Another important metric for prospective postgraduate students is the quality of a university’s research output. The Times Higher Education measures several indicators in this area, including reputation, research income and research productivity.

This table features some of the most famous universities in the world and correlates fairly closely with the overall rankings. Tsinghua University and Peking University’s presence, meanwhile, signals China’s emergence on the international higher education scene.

These rankings are definitely a useful way of beginning your search for a Masters, but you shouldn’t let your decision be ruled by them. There are plenty of important aspects of a Masters that aren’t necessarily captured by the methodology of a league table.

If you’re looking for more information on how to use rankings to choose a Masters, our guide to postgraduate rankings tables is a great place to start.

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