Unicamp is the second best university in the country according to the QS World University Rankings 2024, formulated by the British publisher Quacquarelli Symonds. In Latin America, the institution is in eighth place and, in the world ranking, it is in position 220 out of 1.499 institutions classified, 77 more than in last year's edition. Among the items evaluated in the ranking, Unicamp stands out for its reputation among academics and researchers around the world and among companies and institutions. The university also obtained a significant result in the evaluation of its sustainability actions, an item included for the first time in the QS ranking.
"We are very happy with the result of the QS ranking. Unicamp has risen in the academic reputation and business reputation indicators", says Renato Garcia, advisor to the Dean of University Development (PRDU). The university's overall score was 42,7 out of 100 points. In academic reputation, which corresponds to 30% of the weight of the overall score, the data shows that Unicamp rose from 68,7 to 70,3 points. Business reputation represents 15% of the global weight. In this regard, the institution went from 32,7 to 50,1 points. "Unicamp's recognition has increased significantly in the market, both among private and state-owned companies, industries and banks. We have many former students working in these institutions, which helps us achieve this recognition", explains Garcia.
In addition to the universities' reputation among the academic community and the market, the QS Ranking evaluates traditional indicators of the university environment, such as the impact generated by research, citations made to publications and internationalization, criteria in which the university performed poorly. “Regarding internationalization, the indicator measures the participation of both students and foreign professors at the university. In the case of citations, the index corresponds to 20% of the institution's overall grade”, ponders Fernando Sarti, dean of University Development. "These dimensions deserve special attention from the university, which has developed specific actions to advance these areas." He cites the example of the New Faculty Incentive Program (PIND) and the Post-Doctoral Researcher Program (PPPD).
This year, new indicators of employability, participation in the international research network and sustainability were included in the research. In relation to the latter, Unicamp stands out with 74,8 points, which classifies it as the fourth most sustainable in Latin America. According to Renato Garcia, this is due to investments made by the university in renewable energy projects, waste management, reduction in water waste, among others.
Among the Brazilian institutions evaluated by the ranking, the University of São Paulo (USP) appears in 85th position worldwide, first place in the country. In addition to Unicamp and USP, the ranking also includes the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), in position 371; the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), in position 419, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC Rio), in position 595.
Challenge for Brazilian universities
In analyzing the results of Brazilian universities, Renato points out that there is a great challenge in expanding the internationalization of the country's institutions, especially in comparison with rates recorded by universities in the United States and Europe. According to the professor, the ranking still reflects the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made it difficult for students and teachers to move between countries. However, even in the Latin American context, Brazilian institutions present other factors that limit internationalization. “Universities like Buenos Aires, in Argentina, achieve higher rates by attracting more students from other Latin countries, due to the Spanish language”, he comments.
He highlights that the process of expanding the university's internationalization involves a long work and that the Executive Directorate of International Relations (DERI) is already developing several actions focused on this objective. Garcia also highlights the contribution of the teaching units at Unicamp and the Lumina Patrimonial Fund to gathering essential information for composing the grade in the ranking.
