Unicamp maintained its position in the ranking of the thousand best universities in the world, released this Tuesday (5) by Times Higher Education (THE), a British publication responsible for one of the main educational evaluations worldwide. According to the list, which encompasses 77 countries, the University is located in the group that brings together positions 401 to 500, the same as in the previous edition. Among Brazilian institutions, Unicamp is in second place, with only USP ahead of it, which is in group 251-300. From the 200th position onwards, the classification is presented in groups.
This is the 14th annual edition of the World University Rankings, as the THE ranking is officially called. Unicamp's performance was well received by rector Marcelo Knobel. “We are very pleased with the result. The data is the same that led Unicamp to be the first University in the Latin American Ranking, which, due to the weight given in this world ranking, keeps Unicamp among the best Latin American institutions. We will continue working to maintain and expand the quality public University”, he declared.
In addition to Unicamp and USP, 19 other Brazilian universities appear among the thousand best higher education institutions in the world. Overall, Brazil's performance worsened in relation to the previous edition of the ranking, when 27 universities in the country were present in the list. Phil Baty, editorial director of THE, considered it “disappointing that Brazil's share of the world's leading universities has declined, particularly given the expansion of this year's rankings table”.
According to Baty, the results reflect the increasing pressure that the country's universities are under during the economic crisis and the growing global competition in the sector. “Brazil will need to ensure it continues to invest in higher education and free its institutions from unnecessary bureaucracy if it is to become a global player in higher education.” The THE assessment uses information such as the number of citations in research, the level of internationalization, the degree of professors' degrees and the transfer of knowledge to society, among other aspects.
In global terms, the first place in the ranking went to the University of Oxford, followed by the University of Cambridge, the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University, the last two sharing third place.
Latin America
In the specific ranking for Latin America prepared by THE itself, released last July, Unicamp was named as the best University in the region, considering 81 institutions evaluated. The criteria are the same as those considered in the global list, but the weights are different, in order to better reflect the characteristics of Latin American higher schools. In these cases, the transfer of technology to society is more important than other variables.
See the global ranking of THE at this link
Read article by rector Marcelo Knobel for THE
