Vilnius University Is Improving its Position in the Global Rating of the QS World University Rankings

Today, the latest rating of the world's top universities QS World University Ranking 2021 was published, in which Vilnius University (VU) maintains its leading position. Having jumped up by 35 positions, the VU is rated 423 and has been among 500 world's top universities for five years in a row.

The VU enjoys the highest rating in the field of academic reputation. Academic reputation is determined through yearly polls of academic staff, where respondents are asked to name the best higher education establishments in the world. In addition to the academic reputation, the ratio of students and lecturers in faculties and the indicator of foreign lecturers at the university were also improving.

According to VU Rector Prof Rimvydas Petruaskas, steadily growing indicators show that the university is pursuing its goals in a determined manner - it is turning into an open, international organisation, while improving positions presuppose attraction of talents from all over the world.

'Notwithstanding that university ratings cannot be an end in themselves, however they are important for internal self-assessment and international attractiveness. If compared with the last year, our results have improved; we belong to the world's elite of universities. Improving results demonstrate the importance of purpose-oriented and consistent performance, make us visible in a positive light and enable attraction of the most-gifted Lithuanian and foreign talents', stated Prof Petrauskas.

The ratings are established by assessing universities by six criteria: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty students, international faculty and international students.

The QS World University Rankings is the biggest independent world's university rating established every year since 2004. In the last eight years, the VU went up by 178 positions in it.