World university rankings: how much influence do they really have?

By Grete Luxbacher. With government policy increasingly shaped by global rankings, Grete Luxbacher surveys the impact of the biggest tables.
Explore the Top 200 QS World University Rankings 2013
Global university rankings are a competitive business – not only for universities, but for the companies that research and publish them. They are simultaneously criticised and lauded. And while few can agree on which methodology is the most robust, there is consensus that global university rankings are here to stay, that no ranking is all encompassing and that their influence is growing. Students, universities and governments are taking note and action. The first international rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities or Shanghai Rankings, were published in 2003 by Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. More...