University rankings
Universities closely monitor ranking lists, because they are often the first places where people seek information to evaluate a university as a potential partner or place to work or study, especially on an international scale. The higher the rank of a university, the more pull it has for high-class operators.
Rankings serve as one way to compare universities. They primarily measure the productivity of research, as high level of research is valued and is also easy to measure. Different comparisons also gauge various other factors: some assess publications and their quantity or citations, while others consider reputation, the quality of science and teaching, the number of degrees awarded, internationality, the presence of Nobel laureates, or the teacher-student ratio.
Oulu ranks in the top 3 percent
Depending on the calculation method, there are approximately 17,000 to 23,000 universities worldwide. The University of Oulu consistently ranks in the top three percent.
The most significant rankings are the “Shanghai list” ie. the ARWU university ranking published by the Jiao Tong University in Shanghai; Times Higher Education (THE) ranking; QS World University Rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds; and the CWTS ranking by Leiden University.
2024 rankings
- QS World University Rankings: 344
- THE Times Higher Education World University Rankings: 251-300
- ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai): 401-500
- CWTS Leiden Ranking: 651