Why They Disagree: What Each Ranking Actually Counts

QS is 45% reputation surveys, THE spreads 18 indicators across five pillars, and ARWU counts Nobel Prizes back to 1901 — different yardsticks crown different kings.

The top 3

  1. QS: The Reputation Game: 45% of a QS score comes from global opinion surveys — 30% academic reputation plus 15% employer reputation — with citations (20%) and a 5% sustainability metric on top, a blend that rewards MIT's brand and graduate employability.
  2. THE: The 18-Indicator Balance: THE's WUR 3.0 spreads 18 indicators across five pillars — teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook — crunching 134 million citations and 68,402 scholar survey responses, a mix where Oxford's research machine wins.
  3. ARWU: Nobel Prizes or Nothing: The Shanghai Ranking uses zero surveys: 30% of the score is Nobel laureates and Fields Medalists among alumni and faculty (counted back to 1901), plus Nature/Science papers and highly cited researchers — a trophy-cabinet contest Harvard has never lost.

Sources

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