Several Belgian universities were ranked higher than in previous years in the most recent edition of the QS World University ranking.
KU Leuven remained the only Belgian institution to reach the top 100 of the 1,501 universities considered in the QS list.
The QS World University Ranking is one of the most consulted ranking lists worldwide. It evaluates educational institutions based on nine indicators, including reputation, employment outcomes, and ratio of international students and researchers.
KU Leuven jumped from 63rd to 60th place in the recent top universities' list. It scored relatively well in terms of its international research network (4th), sustainability (25th place) and academic reputation (53rd place).
KUL University Library in 2014. Credit: Belga / Siska Gremmelprez
Improving rankings can be beneficial to universities when it comes to attracting prospective students and staff members, particularly international ones, a spokesperson for KU Leuven told The Brussels Times. "For many foreign students, they are a first indicator of a university’s quality and academic reputation."
However, not all indicators are equally relevant. "We follow rankings with interest, but also with the necessary perspective. Some of the indicators they use — such as research impact or international collaboration — are indeed aligned with our priorities. Other criteria are less relevant or do not always accurately reflect the reality of an institution," the KU Leuven spokesperson added.
In addition to KU Leuven, other Belgian institutions also saw their positions rise this year. Among the ones with improved scores are Ghent University, which went from 169th to 162nd, UCLouvain, which went from 203rd to 191st, ULB which went from 230th to 227th, and the University of Liège, which moved from 396th to 379th.
A building of the Ghent University. Credit: Belga/Jonas D'Hollander
Similarly to KU Leuven, the University of Ghent noted the importance of taking rankings with a grain of salt. "With any ranking, it’s important to understand exactly what is being measured and how," a spokesperson stated.
While some factors can be easily and objectively measured, others are rather limited, they added. "It may not be easy for outsiders to assess the quality of our teaching. Unlike research results, which are widely disseminated through scientific publications, teaching is less visible."
Nonetheless, the university celebrated the results, albeit with caution. "While we are pleased with this rise in the rankings, we are careful not to overstate its significance."
With that similar nuance in mind, KU Leuven underscored that such lists do not influence their academic vision. "Rankings do not define our strategy, but they can reflect certain outcomes of our ongoing commitment to teaching, research, and service to society. Above all, we remain focused on our academic mission and the quality we provide to our students and researchers."
The QS world university ranking is calculated by evaluating the academic reputation (30%), citations per faculty (20%), employer's reputation (15%), employment outcomes (5%), faculty student ratio (10%), international faculty ratio (5%), international research network (5%), international student ratio (5%) and sustainability (5%).
