Each year, the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) names top universities across the globe and publishes a list of the top thousand out of 18,000 universities. For the seventh year in a row, the University of Utah joins the ranks of the top 100.
CWUR “publishes the only global university ranking that measures the quality of education and training of students as well as the prestige of the faculty members and the quality of their research without relying on surveys and university data submissions,” according to the CWUR website.
Seven qualities are taken into account in determining where facilities of higher education from across the globe compare.
First, the quality of education, which is measured by the success of alumni from that institution in winning major international awards. This portion makes up 15 percent of the scoring of a university. The U ranked number 169.
Alumni employment is then taken into consideration. Alumni who have held CEO positions at top companies across the world boost the school’s score. This accounts for another 15 percent. Utah was ranked 187.
The quality of faculty members as measured by their number of international awards makes up another 15 percent. Esteemed faculty pushed the U to slot number 80.
Research output, determined by the total amount of research papers published, is another 15 percent. The U placed 125th.
Quality of publications is figured out by the number of research papers from the university that end up in top-tier journals, another 15 percent. The U was named 105 in this category.
Influence takes 15 percent and relies on the number of research papers ending up in “highly–influential journals.” The U ranked 68.
Citations or the number of highly-cited research papers is a lesser 10 percent. The U made the top 100 as 93.
Taking international slot 83, the U falls just behind Australian National University. Nationally, the U is sandwiched between Emory University (47) and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (49).
Despite anking lower than 2017’s standing of 68, the U’s overall score has gone up. In 2017 the U’s total was 50.87, in the 2018-2019 rankings their score is 82.3.
CWUR also has separate rankings by subject, ranking both countries and universities. Nationally, the U ranks 48.
The United States was given first in the top 10 countries by high-quality research output in multidisciplinary chemistry followed by China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, France, Spain, Canada and Switzerland, respectively. In the same category for universities, the University of California, Berkeley took first.
High-quality in physical chemistry fell to the United States, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, France, Spain, Italy and India with the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences first.
High-quality research output in multidisciplinary sciences was the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Italy. Harvard University filled slot number one.
The final subject was high-quality research output in multidisciplinary materials science where the United States once again took first followed by China, Germany, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia and Canada. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences was ranked as the top individual university in this subject.
“Our students work with renowned faculty who have seen increased research funding, awards and publications; they are graduating with experiences that set them apart from their peers; and our demographics are shifting to mirror the larger community,” University President Ruth Watkins told @theU in 2017. “We are extremely proud to offer our students such a high-quality education and we’re honored to be recognized among the top universities in the world.”
