Rising stars of Latin HE

13 juni 2012 - Four universities from Chile and three from Brazil rank in the top 10 of Latin America’s best higher education institutes, according to a recent ranking. With foreign exchange scholarships on the rise, what does this mean for European countries seeking to attract top talent?

With growth slowing down in major BRIC countries like China and India, the world increasingly looks towards Latin America as motor for the global economy. A recent QS ranking now reveals which countries fare best in positioning their research capacity worldwide.

Great impact of Chilean research, high quantity from Brazil

1. Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil); Score (100.0)
2. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile); Score (99.9)
3. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil); Score (97.5)
4. Universidad de Chile (Chile); Score  (93.7)
5. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico); Score (92.8)
6. Universidad de Los Andes Colombia (Columbia); Score(90.3)
7. Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico); Score (85.5)
8. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Score (85.4)
9. Universidad de Concepción (Chile); Score (83.7)
10. Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Chile); Score (82.7)

According to QS, 40% of all ranked Latin American institutes were founded less than 50 years ago. A remarkable development is that no Argentinian university has made it into the top 10. Universidad de Buenos Aires dropped 3 places down from place 8 last year.

Ben Sowter, head of QS research, pointed out that  "Chilean universities perform excellently in terms of research output, and have an outstanding reputation among academics and employers. Whereas the top Brazilian universities are producing a greater quantity of published research. The work produced at leading Chilean universities is more widely cited, which suggests it has a greater impact."

Booming scholarship programs

In the top 250 the following Latin American countries are represented: Brazil (65), Mexico (46), Colombia (34), Chile (30), Argentina (26), Peru (10), Ecuador (6), Venezuela (6), Cuba (5), Uruguay (4), Costa Rica (3), Paraguay (3), Panama (2) Guatemala (1) Nicaragua(1),Puerto Rico (1). Bolivia and Suriname are not part of this list.

Many of these countries have either already set up exchange scholarship programs or are planning on doing so. Brazil's "Science without Borders" program has drawn particular attention. Even the American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got involved on behalf of U.S. universities trying to lure Brazilian talent to their institutes.