Mark Sudbury, Head of World 100 and Reputation, looks at the 2021 ARWU rankings, overall trends and how World 100 members have performed.

Mark Sudbury, Head of World 100 and Reputation, looks at the 2021 ARWU rankings, overall trends and how World 100 members have performed.

In 2021, it is impossible to discuss the subject of reputation without looking at the impact of Covid19, and this is perhaps another key sign that an institution’s reputation cannot be solely attributable to rankings.

Rankings and reputation are entwined but reputation is about more than rankings. That was the key conclusion from a World 100-moderated session at the THE Arab Rankings Forum on 27 July. World 100 Director Louise Simpson discussed ‘Using Rankings to Enhance Reputation’ with a panel of experts from some of the biggest universities in the Arab region.

Mark Sudbury, Head of World 100 and Reputation, looks at the 2021 QS world university rankings, overall trends and how World 100 members have performed.

World 100 members have again proved the link between reputation and the real-world impact of universities, achieving 4 of the top 10 places (and 9 of the top 20) in the latest THE Impact Rankings published on 21st April 2021.

Rankings Watch is a regular feature from Mark Sudbury, Head of Global Network Development, looking at activity in the university rankings. This month's segment looks at the US News & World Report’s Best Global Universities, the last of this year’s “big four” rankings, published in late October; followed by the THE Reputation Rankings.

The latest league table published by Academic Ranking of World Universities shows a higher degree of change from the previous year than is usually expected from this most stable of the global rankings. 

Universities with a clear focus on reputation continue to perform strongly in the latest THE World University Rankings (WUR 2021), with 72% of W100 Reputation Network members improving or maintaining their position.

The latest league table published by Academic Ranking of World Universities shows a higher degree of change from the previous year than is usually expected from this most stable of the global rankings. 

Australia remains a dominant force, with 17 institutions featuring in the top 100, up from 15 last year. France has 14 entries; the UK has five and Hong Kong has four, including the top-ranked Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Reputation remains a key driver of university performance, and those universities strongly focused on raising global profile continue to advance, according to the latest QS Rankings published on 10 June.