What parents and graduates should know before choosing a university.
Choosing a university and field of study is a particularly important decision in a person’s life. In addition to determining how he will use the 3-4 years immediately after coming of age, it largely lays the foundation for the career path he will follow for the rest of his life.
Higher Education in Cyprus: A leap in quality
In recent years, higher education in Cyprus has made significant strides in terms of quality, making Cypriot universities commendable alternatives not only for Cypriots and Greeks, but also for students from other countries.
This remarkable growth has caught the attention of international university ranking organizations, which evaluate, compare and then rank the world’s top universities. These university rankings are one of the main tools used by prospective students worldwide to choose the university that will frame their studies.
The fact that Cypriot universities are now included in these lists automatically means that they are on the “radar” of potential students, which allows them to attract even more students from abroad.
The prevailing misunderstanding
The same tool is now available to parents and alumni. They can compare Cypriot universities among themselves, among Greek universities, but also among the rest of the leading universities in each country and worldwide.
But this being a new development, and considering the public’s reduced friction with the more general idea of ​​university rankings, it’s perfectly normal for some confusion to prevail as to which rankings they should consider in their decisions.
There are various rankings that Cypriot universities refer to in their communication campaigns in recent years, which has blurred the picture, with the prevailing perception being that all universities are ranked. But this is not the reality.
However, let’s start the discussion from the beginning.
What are university rankings?
University ranking tools compare and rank universities based on specific criteria and metrics. They are of great importance as they provide an objective and comparative assessment of the quality and performance of universities worldwide, since they provide information on the quality of teaching, research, impact on society, international perspective and other performance indicators. This allows students, researchers and employers to compare and choose the universities that best suit their needs.
Rankings also promote competition between universities, providing incentives to improve their performance in order to rank higher, which stimulates progress and innovation in education and research.
More than one types of university rankings
- “What types of university rankings are there?”
- “What are the major university rankings?”
- “Are there rankings that should be given more and less weight in the process of choosing a university?”
These questions help us better understand the usefulness of university rankings.
University rankings are divided into three categories:
- To those that rate universities based on their overall quality and rank them against the best in the world
- Those that evaluate universities for their performance in individual academic subjects (Economics, Mathematics, Clinical and Health, Psychology, etc.) and rank them in comparison with the corresponding performance of the best universities in the world
- Finally, in rankings that evaluate universities based on their contribution to society and not their academic prestige (for example for their Social Responsibility actions, which are not related to the quality of the education they provide).
Based on the above categorization, it is clear that the university rankings with the most weight are:
- Rankings fall into the first category, as they provide an objective and reliable assessment of the overall quality of education provided by a university, compared to the overall quality of education provided by the best universities in the world.
- Rankings that fall into the second category, which provide an objective and reliable assessment of the quality of education provided by a university in individual academic subjects.
What are the university rankings that assess quality?
The most popular and reliable of the rankings that fall into the first category, that is, which assess the overall quality of the education offered by a university, are the following:
- Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings: First published in 2004, it is based on 13 criteria, including teaching, research, reporting, industry knowledge and international perspective. It evaluates the overall performance of universities in these criteria.
- Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) or Shanghai Rankings: First published in 2003 and based on 6 criteria, such as the number of graduates and professors who have won Nobel Prizes, the number of researchers included as citations in scientific publications, the number of articles published in the journals Nature and Science etc. It evaluates the overall performance of the universities in these criteria.
- QS World University Rankings: First published in 2004, it takes into account 6 criteria, including academic reputation, employer reputation, academic citations per professor, faculty/student ratio, international dimension and international partnerships. It evaluates the overall performance of universities in these criteria.
The ranking of the largest Cypriot universities in these university rankings for 2023:
The most popular ranking of the above is the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The ranking of Greek and Cypriot universities together in this ranking:
1. University of Crete (401–500)
1. University of Cyprus (401–500)
1. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (401–500)
4. University of Nicosia (501-600)
4. Harokopian University (501–600)
6. Cyprus University of Technology (601-800)
7. National Technical University of Athens (801-1000)
7. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (801-1000)
7. Athens University of Economics and Business (801-1000)
7. University of Ioannina (801-1000)
7. University of the Aegean (801-1000)
7. University of Thessaly (801-1000)
13. University of Patras (1001–1200)
13. Technical University of Crete (1001–1200)
15. Democritus University of Thrace (1201–1500)
15. International Hellenic University (1201–1500)
15. University of Western Macedonia (1201–1500)
18. Hellenic Open University (1501+)
18. University of Western Attica (1501+)
Evaluation of the Quality of Education Offered in individual Sectors
The second category of rankings includes the rankings that evaluate the quality of the education offered in individual fields.
One such ranking is the Times Higher Education’s popular World University Rankings By Subject, which assesses the performance and reputation of universities in specific academic disciplines/subjects.
Ideally, the rankings that fall into this category are utilized by prospective students in combination, before reaching their choice.
If, for example, an excellent student wishes to pursue studies in the field of Business and Economics, and wants to apply to the University of Oxford, which is ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings University Rankings, he might change his mind when he takes a look at THE World University Rankings by Subject, where MIT ranks first in the specific field, while the University of Oxford is two places below.
The ranking of Cypriot universities in the Times Higher Education, World University Rankings By Subject list for 2023, in five indicative subjects:
Academic Evaluation Vs Social Contribution Evaluation
The rankings that fall into the first two categories assess the quality (individual and overall) of the academic education provided by the universities. It stands to reason, therefore, that they are tools that a prospective male and female student should utilize, as they offer an objective picture of what to expect from the university of their choice.
The third category of rankings deals with another aspect of the work of universities: their social contribution. These rankings do not deal with a university’s performance in providing quality education. In other words, a university can be ranked for its social contribution but not for the quality of education it provides.
An example of such a ranking is his ranking Times Higher Education, Impact Rankings: The Impact Rankings focuses on the social and environmental impact of universities and evaluates universities based on their contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The ranking measures concerted efforts to promote and raise awareness about addressing global challenges and promoting a positive impact on society, always in line with these goals.
Rankings as an analysis tool
Ranking systems are analysis tools. When used correctly, they provide the basis for conducting a comprehensive and multi-level research aimed at choosing the ideal university for each and every graduate.
It is necessary to educate female students about university rankings, their value, criteria and their different aspects. This training will contribute to the cultivation of a critical approach towards the options before them and will help them reach a well-informed and as objective as possible decision.
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
