The University of (USP) is no longer the best in Latin America, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global expert in higher education. The institution of São Paulo fell to second place in the ranking of the consultancy released on Wednesday (1st). The Pontifical Catholic University of, in Santiago, leads the survey, which includes 437 higher education institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. QS considers the employability of students, the number of teachers per student and the academic reputation, among other indicators.
USP pointed out that the ranking released on Wednesday is based on data from 2023. “That is, it does not yet reflect the university’s actual performance in some indicators,” says the coordinator of the institution’s academic performance indicators management, Fatima Nunes. She cites the criterion that measures the proportion of students by a teacher, who does not account for, says, recent hires made by the University. “Even so, USP is once again the Brazilian institution with the best place, which reaffirms the leadership,” he concludes.
In addition to USP, Unicamp (3rd), UFRJ (5th) and UNESP (6th) appear in the top 10 of Latin America. The universities of Campinas and Rio de Janeiro remain in the same position as last year. UNESP has risen two positions in the ranking. “We were already waiting for the top five. Obviously we would like to be first. But third is quite honorable,” says Unicamp’s Dean of University Development Fernando Sarti.
According to him, the indicator that weighs the most to the institution is the number of students. “Unicamp has approximately 35,000 students. This may seem a lot, but when comparing with some Latin American universities, such as USP or National University of Mexico, the conditions are different,” he explains. He points out that the ranking is important for the institution to make decisions and think of strategies to develop.
UFRJ celebrated its position in the ranking, noting to be the institution of the federal government that best classified in the analysis. “We are very happy with the result because we face a lot of budgetary difficulties and many infrastructural problems. But still, thanks to the commitment, dedication and competence of our body of students, servers and teachers, we maintained the grade and the same position as last year. This demonstrates that if we have more resources, we will certainly rise in this ranking,” said Rector Roberto Medronho. “This demonstrates that if we have more resources, we will certainly climb this ranking,” he said.
UNESP also celebrated the result. “Since 2022, the university has been rising positions driven by the good reputation of its faculty, the strong engagement of its students and the influence of its graduates in the labor market,” he said. The institution also pointed out that it reinforced the fixed staff of teachers, with 653 new hires in the last three and a half years.
For the institution, rankings also reformulated, considering more inclusion policies criteria. “For years, the results, which focused mainly on teaching and research, have gradually valued the integrality of university life, with spaces for extension, diversity, culture and innovation,” he says.
It predominates in the ranking, with 26 national universities among the 100 best in the region. Chile, with 16, and the 14, come next. QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter estimates that Brazil’s “exceptional” performance is associated with the productivity and the impact of its academic research. He also highlights efforts to combat inequalities. “In recent years, the country’s higher education system has made important advances in inclusion, access and policy reform, while facing persistent challenges at conclusion rates and quality,” he said.
Among the 26 Brazilian institutions in the top 100, six rose from position, 13 fell and seven remained in the same place. According to the survey, Brazil leads indicators of academic research. But it does not have the same result in the reputation criterion between employers, in which only USP is among the top 10.
The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (1st) and the Universidad de Chile (6th) appear among the most renowned in Latin America both among academics and international employers. The Pontifical is cited as the most respected institution among international employers and occupies the third place among academics.
*With information from Estadão Content
Posted by Nicolas Robert
