More international students in the world’s best universities

THE number of international students in the world’s top 100 universities have increased significantly in the past year. Monique Edwards reports on the latest QS World University Rankings.

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Eight Australian universities have made it to the top 100 higher education insitutions in the world, as the numbers of international student enrolments at these universities leapfrogged in the past year.

Monique Edwards tells you what you need to know about this year’s QS World University Rankings.

The world’s best universities

Higher education institutes from the United Kingdom and the United States have dominated this year’s QS World University Rankings.

The rankings annually showcase hundreds of the best universities around the globe.

Universities are graded based on academic reputation (40 per cent), employer reputation (10 per cent), faculty/student ratio (20 per cent), citations per faculty (20 per cent), international faculty (5 per cent) and international students (5 per cent).

Rankings were also based on survey responses by thousands of academics and employers, including the QS Global Academic Survey and QS Global Employer Survey.

Four UK universities made it into the top 10 of the list while there were six from the US, including the new “number one university”, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The Australian National University has proven to be Australia’s rising star, moving up from number 26 last year to 24 on the list.

Seven other Australian universities also secured notable positions in the top 100, including the University of Melbourne, at 36th place, and Monash University, at 61st place.

Rankings were also awarded according to subjects including Arts and Humanities, Engineering & Technology and Life Sciences & Engineering.

International students on the rise

Meanwhile, the international student intake in the top 100 universities has increased by 10% since the last rankings, making it the biggest single-year increase in the QS rankings’ nine-year history.

QS head of research Ben Sowter said 120,000 more international students were reported by the top 500 universities this year, indicating the global total may exceed 4 million.

“The unprecedented acceleration in global international recruitment reflects an escalating battle for talent,” he said.

The full QS World University Rankings list can be found here.