The 10 most popular THE rankings stories of 2023

Change and diversification – focal points for universities the world over – are themes in many of Times Higher Education’s most-read rankings stories from the past year.

In particular, readers have been drawn to articles exploring the rise of nations outside the traditional higher education hubs, universities’ performance on research and across subjects, regional competition, and the growing inclusivity of the rankings.

Below are the top 10 most-read rankings articles of the year, based on website traffic. In all cases, the tables were devised, compiled and published by THE.

For more information on our university rankings, visit the World University Rankings home page.

10. World University Rankings 2024: China creeps closer to top 10

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Nearly doubling its number of universities in the top 200, China inched closer to the top 10 in the global rankings. Meanwhile, after five years of stagnation, the overall score for North America picked up.

9. Arab University Rankings 2023: results announced

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A university from Saudi Arabia moved up to lead this regional ranking for the first time. The nation also dominated the top 10, followed by the United Arab Emirates.

8. Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings 2023: results announced

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In June, THE announced the results of our new Africa-focused ranking, created in partnership with a Ghanaian institution and the Mastercard Foundation.

7. Young University Rankings 2023: results announced

For the first time in five years, Australia’s young institutions outperformed Germany’s.

6. World University Rankings 2024: 20 years tracking global higher education

The archives reveal that 20 years on, the rankings have become more global and inclusive. They now feature nearly 10 times the number of participating universities than their inaugural year in 2004, helping to give a more accurate and detailed picture of international higher education.

5. World University Rankings 2024: changes to our methodology

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This year, three metrics were added to the research quality pillar, and a new patent metric was added to the industry pillar. As part of the international pillar, a normalisation approach was applied to countries based on population size.

4. World University Rankings 2024 by subject: results announced

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International representation in subjects such as education and business increased but US and UK institutions mostly maintained their top positions.

3. Impact Rankings 2023: results announced

Australian and Canadian institutions dominated the top 10 in the latest Impact Rankings, which measure universities’ progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Asia University Rankings 2023: results announced

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The number of South Asian universities (32) in the top 200 of the Asia University Rankings reached a five-year high, led by Pakistan (with 10 universities).

1. World University Rankings 2024: results announced

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An analysis of data across six years showed that declining research budgets in UK and US institutions has dragged down their performance in rankings. Meanwhile, average research income in China, South Korea, Canada and Australia has increased.

tiya.alexander@timeshighereducation.com