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September means back to class for university students and it also means international rankings season is in full swing, with the three most-watched rankings released this time of year.

“�ʹ�����’s has not chosen an easy path when it comes to international rankings,” says Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “While most universities focus either on research or teaching, �ʹ�����’s believes in a balanced academy and strives to excel at both. Delivering a transformative student learning experience in a research-intensive environment is our defining strength, but it does not necessarily help us in international rankings.”

"�ʹ�����’s has not chosen an easy path...delivering a transformative student learning experience in a research-intensive environment is our defining strength, but it does not necessarily help us in international rankings."

– Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor

The Shanghai Jiao Tong academic ranking of world universities (ARWU) was released on August 15 and �ʹ�����’s maintained its position within the 201-300 range of the world’s top universities. The QS world university rankings were announced September 16 and saw �ʹ�����’s move up two positions to 187th globally. The Times Higher Education (THE) world university rankings will be published on October 1.

Every ranking uses a different methodology and �ʹ�����’s performs well in some and less well in others. Some rankings, such as QS, rely heavily on global reputational surveys and others, such as ARWU and THE place a heavy emphasis on research output.

“Fluctuations in the international rankings are to be expected and �ʹ�����’s may go up or down a few positions from year to year.  The rankings do indicate that �ʹ�����’s continues to punch above its weight when it comes to research, but no major ranking captures all of �ʹ�����’s strengths, in particular the quality of its student learning experience,” says Kathy O’Brien, Associate Vice-Principal (International).

Expanding the university’s international reach is a strategic priority for �ʹ�����’s and a key driver in its . Ms. O’Brien says that the university’s success internationally will be built upon its strength domestically. “The university will continue to leverage our strength as a balanced academy to attract international students and to build on our research prominence around the globe.”

�ʹ�����’s renewed international recruitment efforts are already showing results, with international students making up five per cent of this year’s .