Unicamp continues to be positioned among the best universities in Latin America, according to a ranking created specifically for the region released late this Tuesday afternoon (18) by the British publication Times Higher Education (THE). THE is known for its careful evaluation of higher education institutions internationally. This is the fourth edition of Times Higher Education Latin America. In all of them, Unicamp appears ranked among the three most prominent institutions.
According to THE assessment, in 2019 Unicamp ranked third among Latin American universities. The leadership fell, in an unprecedented way, to the Catholic University of Chile, followed by the University of São Paulo (USP). This is the first time that Brazil has not topped the ranking. In previous editions, the leadership of the table alternated between Unicamp and USP. In 2016, Unicamp was second. In the following two years, it ranked first.
Despite the fluctuation in the ranking table, Unicamp showed an improvement in its score compared to the 2018 edition. The University was surpassed by the superior performance of the other institutions considered. According to the report issued by the British publication, several Brazilian institutions scored lower in the ranking “by citation impact this year, which suggests that the country should pay more attention to the quality of research to avoid a greater drop in the future”.
Dean Marcelo Knobel welcomed the ranking results naturally. He noted that the fluctuation between the universities that occupy the top positions is natural, given that they present a high degree of excellence in their activities. “The difference in scores between institutions is small, which allows for variations from one year to another. The important thing is that Unicamp continues to be very well ranked”, he analyzed. Regarding the need for Brazil to pay more attention to research, an aspect highlighted by THE, Knobel said that this is a constant concern for public universities. He admitted, however, that the cuts in resources for the sector determined by the federal government could affect the performance of Brazilian institutions in international rankings in the future.
Exclusive
In 2019, Times Higher Education Latin America evaluated 150 universities from 12 Latin American countries. The criteria adopted are the same as those applied in the THE World University Rankings, which has global coverage, but presents modifications to better reflect the characteristics of higher education schools in the region. 13 performance indicators are considered, within five areas: teaching (learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international perspective (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer). Brazil is the country with the highest number of universities evaluated - 52 compared to 43 in 2018.
