Global rankings fuel hype, but students have more to consider when choosing a uni
- Written by The Conversation
At this time of year, many year 12 students are seriously turning their minds to the future. Should they go to university next year? If so, which one?
June is also the start of the global ranking season. Last week saw the release of the QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2026 world university rankings, amid reports of a “wake-up call” for Australian universities. About 70% of Australian universities fell in the rankings albeit only by small margins.
Should students be worried about this? What should they – and the rest of us – understand about global rankings?
What are rankings?
Global university rankings aim to evaluate all universities in the world through a a single comparative framework.
Apart from QS, other high-profile global rankings include those by Shanghai Ranking and the Times Higher Education.
Each ranking system has a slightly different focus and methodology.
QS looks at student-to-staff ratios, student employability, the reputation of the university as an employer, sustainability, global engagement and academic citations. It also ranks specific subjects across universities, which can be helpful if you want to know about the quality of teaching in a particular discipline or field.
It is comprehensive. QS included 36 of Australia’s 43 universities in their latest assessment. These universities were also compared to more than 1,400 other institutions across 105 other countries.
What impact do rankings have?
These rankings are promoted as objective indicators and markers of prestige. They can be very influential in terms of attracting potential donors and students.
One analysis suggests academic rankings are more influential than are research results for attracting philanthropic investment in Australian universities.
The rankings can also directly affect the resources available for students.
We know rankings can influence where international students (and the resources that accompany them) go. Australian universities have long relied on fees from international students to support funding shortfalls.
Rankings are not everything
But global rankings have many critics. They may include a lot of information but this is not necessarily what students in diverse situations and locations need.
The rankings also do not reflect how much time and how many resources some universities put into the information that goes back to the ranking process.
In November 2023, an independent expert group, convened by the United Nations issued a statement criticising the rankings system.
It said “the very idea of global university rankings is fundamentally flawed”.
It is simply not possible to produce a fair and credible global league table of universities given their multiple missions and their diverse social, economic and political contexts around the world.
It also noted the rankings advantaged “historically privileged institutions”.
The statement also said there was a bias towards the English language, certain types of research, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. “This undermines the importance of teaching and of the humanities and social sciences,” it said.
A bias against regional unis?
The rankings also do not favour regional universities, which is particularly relevant for Australian students.
The QS 2026 survey shows four regional Australian universities slipped in rank and all are positioned outside the global top 400.
This shows how global rankings are a blunt instrument and don’t account for the broader place of universities in regional areas. Here they play a vital role in their communities, driving economic growth and providing essential services.
What should prospective students consider?
Although universities within countries are ranked as better or worse than each other in a global league table, it is important to recognise specific national factors are not considered in the rankings. And individual student experience is rarely taken into account.
Student experience includes the quality of teaching and the types of support individuals have access to, as well as the facilities and the culture on and around campus. We also know student experience continues to be affected by loneliness in the post-Covid era.
So prospective students should be careful when it comes to making a decision about where to go to university. Rankings are a useful tool but so is talking to friends and family and going to open days.
More than anything else, Year 12 students should know this is not the most important decision of their lives. They can take a gap year or change degrees. In fact many students do one or both of these things.
