World University Rankings 2020: launch date announced

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020 will be launched on 11 September.

The flagship ranking will be released at 7pm BST during an exclusive event at the THE World Academic Summit in Zurich. The event will be hosted in partnership with ETH Zurich, continental Europe’s top university.

This year’s ranking will be the biggest yet, including 1,396 universities from 92 countries and regions, up from 1,258 institutions across 86 territories last year. Overall 1,820 institutions opted to take part, generating a total of 251,000 data points.

The 2020 table is based on the same 13 performance metrics underpinning last year’s rankings. Two of these indicators, which together account for one-third of an institution’s final score, are again based on the results of the annual THE Academic Reputation Survey. The 2019 data are combined with the results of the 2018 survey, giving more than 21,000 responses.

The exercise also analyses 12.8 million research outputs and 77.4 million citations to generate a picture of individual institutions’ research environments and research quality.

Following the launch of the THE World University Rankings, 11 subject-specific tables will be published throughout October and November.

Phil Baty, THE’s chief knowledge officer, said: “THE’s mission is to work in partnership with the sector to help universities understand their position, against their mission, and to support them in their endeavour to deliver transformational teaching, research, innovation and impact.

“The THE World University Rankings – as the world’s most comprehensive and balanced university ranking system and THE’s flagship analysis – are a vital part of that mission, offering the headline view of the rapidly changing global higher education and research environment, through the gold standard methodology.”

Mr Baty added: “We are delighted that more than 1,800 research-focused institutions from all over the world took the time and effort to submit hundreds of data points to THE’s central database this year, to support this collective endeavour, and I’m thrilled that this means we have been able to include more universities than ever before in the world rankings, and in the subsequent analyses that will emerge from this exercise across 2020.

“More importantly, it means that THE’s picture of global higher education, in all its diversity, is deeper, richer and more comprehensive than ever before, allowing us to provide unprecedented insights and support for the sector.”

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com

Register to attend the THE World Academic Summit, including the launch of the THE World University Rankings 2020.