What countries are most successful in providing the best higher
education? Common rankings like those of QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU only look
at individual institutes and are dominated by Anglo-American
universities. A new ranking sponsored by the university network
Universitas 21 took a broader view and came up with some surprising
insights.
7 European countries in the top 10
The report evaluated countries on the basis of 23
variables. These were divided into four categories, namely 1.)
resources (investment by government and private sector), 2.) output
(research and its impact, as well as the production of an educated
workforce which meets labour market needs), 3.) connectivity
(international networks and collaboration which protects a system
against insularity) and 4.) environment (government policy and
regulation, diversity and participation opportunities).
Retrieved results cast a favorable light on higher education in
Europe. 7 out of the top 10 nations are situated in Europe with an
especially strong presence of the Nordic countries (Sweden,
Finland, Denmark, Norway). With Switzerland and the Netherlands,
two smaller states also made it into the top 10. As in universities
rankings, United States tops of the ranking while Australia and UK
follow on place 8 and 10.
Ranking of Countries (Score)
- United States (100)
- Sweden (83.6)
- Canada (82.8)
- Finland (82.0)
- Denmark (81.0)
- Switzerland (80.3)
- Norway (78.0)
- Australia (77.8)
- the Netherlands (77.4)
- United Kingdom (76.8)
Countries were furthermore ranked within the individual
categories. There, Canada, Denmark and Sweden fare particularly
well in total resources allocated. The policy and diversity
environment for higher education is most favorable in the
Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States.
Regarding international connectivity Austria, Singapore and
Switzerland top of the ranking. Overall output is by far the
highest in the United States with the United Kingdom and Canada
coming in second and third. As such the Universitas 21 gives
insight as to why Anglo-American institutions dominated common
university rankings. Their research output outpaces other countries
on an aggregate level.
Higher education comes at a price
The report highlights that good higher education comes at a
price. "There is a strong relationship between resources and
output: of the top eight countries in output, only the UK and
Australia are not in the top eight for resources."
Furthermore it appears that neighboring have a great influence
on each other's higher education system. The researchers state that
"there is some evidence of groupings of neighbouring countries. The
four Nordic countries are all in the top seven. It would seem that
while many countries may feel they cannot hope to match the higher
education system in the United States, they do want to match that
of their neighbours.
Full Press Statement
New research into national education systems gives the first
ranking of countries and territories which are the 'best' at
providing higher education.
Universitas 21 has developed the ranking as a benchmark for
governments, education institutions and individuals. It aims to
highlight the importance of creating a strong environment for
higher education institutions to contribute to economic and
cultural development, provide a high-quality experience for
students and help institutions compete for overseas applicants.
Research authors at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic
and Social Research, University of Melbourne, looked at the most
recent data from 48 countries and territories across 20 different
measures. The range of measures is grouped under four headings:
resources (investment by government and private sector), output
(research and its impact, as well as the production of an educated
workforce which meets labour market needs), connectivity
(international networks and collaboration which protects a system
against insularity) and environment (government policy and
regulation, diversity and participation opportunities). Population
size is accounted for in the calculations.
Overall, in the Universitas 21 Ranking of higher education
systems, the top five were found to be the United States, Sweden,
Canada, Finland and Denmark. Further details can be found under
"more information" below.
Government funding of higher education as a percentage of GDP is
highest in Finland, Norway and Denmark, but when private
expenditure is added in funding is highest in the United States,
Korea, Canada and Chile. Investment in Research and Development is
highest in Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. The United States
dominates the total output of research journal articles, but Sweden
is the biggest producer of articles per head of population. The
nations whose research has the greatest impact are
Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States, United Kingdom and
Denmark. While the United States and United Kingdom have the
world's top institutions in rankings, the depth of world class
higher education institutions per head of population is best in
Switzerland, Sweden, Israel and Denmark.
The highest participation rates in higher education are in
Korea, Finland, Greece, United States, Canada and Slovenia. The
countries with the largest proportion of workers with a higher
level education are Russia, Canada, Israel, United States, Ukraine,
Taiwan and Australia. Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Norway and Japan
have the highest ratio of researchers in the economy.
International students form the highest proportions of total
student numbers in Australia, Singapore, Austria, United Kingdom
and Switzerland. International research collaboration is most
prominent in Indonesia, Switzerland, Hong Kong SAR, Denmark,
Belgium and Austria. China, India, Japan and the United
States rank in the bottom 25 per cent of countries for
international research collaboration. In all but eight countries at
least 50 per cent of students were female, the lowest being in
India and Korea. In only five countries were there at least 50 per
cent female staff; the lowest being in Japan and Iran.