news campusreview . com . au
Reputation is a powerful currency for universities that plays a vital role in attracting student talent .
World Reputation Rankings 2021
Australia performs well , China and the pandemic are the big talking points .
By Wade Zaglas
The University of Melbourne has made it into the top 50 universities for the Times Higher Education ( THE ) World Reputation Rankings 2021 , being Australia ’ s sole representative at number 46 .
Four other Australian universities ranked within the top 200 , with Australian National University and the University of Sydney both placed in the 61-70 band , followed by the University of Queensland ( 81-90 ) and Monash University ( 91-100 ). The University of New South Wales narrowly missed out on a top 100 ranking , placing in the 101-125 band .
Australia ’ s performance in this year ’ s rankings places it equal seventh in the world , matching both Canada and France . By far , the US dominated the top 200 rankings in 2021 , with 57 institutions placed in the top 200 — more than double the second ranked country , the UK , with 25 . China ’ s university sector continues to gather international recognition , with 17 institutions ranking in the top 200 .
TOP 10 UNIVERSITIES OVERALL While the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) has outranked Harvard University in other THE rankings , it was not the case in the 2021 World Reputation
Rankings , with Harvard relegating MIT to the number two position . Other universities to make a top ten appearance include : University of Oxford ( 3 ), Stanford University ( 4 ), University of Cambridge ( 5 ), University of California , Berkeley ( 6 ), Princeton University ( 7 ), Yale University ( 8 ), and University of California , Los Angeles ( 9 ). Tsinghua University ( 10 ) is the first Chinese institution to break into the top ten and the only university in this year ’ s rankings to break the US-UK stranglehold on the top spots .
THE CHINESE CHALLENGE “ While the reputation of China ’ s universities has been steadily rising for some time , this is the first time it has actively challenged the Anglo-American hegemony at the elite end of the global higher education market ,” Forbes ’ Nick Morrison observed .
With all of the Asian superpower ’ s 12 universities that ranked in last year ’ s World Reputation Rankings maintaining or improving their positions , it is becoming increasingly clear that it is asserting itself as a major player .
“ Reputation is a powerful currency for universities that plays a vital role in attracting student talent , academic talent , new partnerships and even inward investment ,” Phil Baty , chief knowledge officer at Times Higher Education said .
“ Mainland China ’ s breakthrough into the top 10 and its results across the table show that its excellence in higher education is increasingly coming to the notice of the wider world .”
While Baty noted that China has historically been a “ net exporter ” of both its students and academics , the growing strength of the country ’ s university sector could usher in a credible challenge to the US and the UK .
“ This could not only cause issues for the likes of the US and UK in terms of attracting talent , but also funding and prestige on the world stage ,” he said .
WHAT ’ S IN A REPUTATION ? Considered the largest survey of its type in the world , and available in 14 languages , the Academic Reputation Survey “ uses United Nations data as a guide to ensure that the response coverage is as representative of world scholarship as possible ,” THE says .
This year ’ s rankings are based on a survey conducted between November 2020 and February 2021 . Close to 11,000 responses were received from 128 countries .
CRISIS AND REPUTATION Rankings Editor for THE , Ellie Bothell , said the COVID-19 pandemic has added another factor into gauging the reputations of universities : crisis .
Beginning her commentary with traditional factors that contribute to a university ’ s reputation , such as quality of research and teaching , Bothell contends that “ one other element illuminated over the last 20 months is how an institution responds in a crisis ”.
“ What has been the balance of online and face-to-face teaching ? How has the university prioritised key areas of research ? To what extent has there been support for mental health and well-being ? How well have university leaders communicated with the community ?” she says .
“ The impact of all these decisions on prestige – among students , academics , the public and governments – still remains to be seen , but there are initial signs that universities ’ responses to the pandemic have begun to feed into leading scholars ’ views of the best universities for teaching and research .” ■
6