Improved rankings boost university income

By Arnaud Chevalier and Xiaoxuan Jia. League tables ranking higher education institutions are popular, and over the past decade they have gained prominence, as shown by an increase in the number of league tables providers, nationally and internationally. League tables attempt to summarise the ‘quality’ of an institution or subject into a simple metric in order to help prospective students make informed choices about their educational investment. But what is the real influence of these league tables on the decisions of applicants? Read more...