Solid ranking again
The last of the big three university rankings has now been published, with the ranking putting ETH Zurich in 13th place. The strong overall showing by Swiss universities has won plaudits from the ranking organisations, but they caution against Swiss isolation and its potential consequences for Swiss universities.
The World University Rankings 2014-2015 produced no unpleasant surprises for ETH Zurich: it has moved up one place to 13th.
Equally unsurprising is the dominance of English-speaking universities in the top 10: as with the previous year, first and second place went to the California Institute of Technology and Harvard University respectively, while Oxford University – which tied for second place with Harvard the previous year – took third. Stanford held steady in fourth, while the University of Cambridge moved up two places from seventh to fifth, bumping MIT down to sixth.
Other Swiss universities also posted improved rankings or negligible declines. EPFL came in 34th (previous year: 37th), the University of Basel took 75th (74th) and the University of Zurich ranked 103rd (121st). The universities of Geneva and Bern also moved up, at 107th (124th) and 132nd (157th) respectively. The University of Lausanne dropped a few places to 136 from 132, while the University of Fribourg remained unchanged in the field 276-300.
Success of internationalism
Phil Baty, editor of the World University Rankings, is impressed with the success of the Swiss education and research institutions: “The Swiss universities are very successful and very well represented in this ranking, with eight universities in the top 300.” Baty also sees the possibility of ETH Zurich penetrating the phalanx of US and British universities at the top of the pile.
Nevertheless, he worries about the long-term prospects for Switzerland: “The continued success of Swiss universities is not secure,” he emphasises. It is crucial for Swiss universities to retain their ability to attract the best talent from around the world and gain access to international sources of funding. Baty regards the increasing isolation of the country within Europe as a “serious risk” for its future as a centre of higher learning.
THE ranking uses 13 indicators
The ranking uses 13 indicators to compare universities, including the learning environment, research volume and influence, research income from the private sector and international outlook. The indicators are based on data from 2012, so comparisons with the previous year therefore reflect changes from 2011. The reputation indicators for teaching and research (weighted at 15% and 18% respectively) are based on a survey of academic colleagues in 2013. Thomson Reuters, which gathers, analyses and verifies the data, publishes the rankings in early October.