Dutch universities drop slightly on the Times Higher-raking

The Netherlands still has eleven universities ranked among the top 200 universities in the world according to the British Times Higher Education. But, once more, most universities have dropped a few places in the ranking, that weighs scientific achievements, reputation and internationalisation, among others.

For the fifth consecutive year, Oxford University in the United Kingdom leads the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Cambridge is rated sixth. The remainder of the top-ten is made up of American Universities, with Stanford in second place.

Wageningen

Wageningen University achieved a score similar to that of last year, information specialist of WUR Library, Marleen Noomen, says. The university scored a little higher on citations, and a little lower on education and research. These three categories contribute 30 per cent each to the total score. Significant changes in the ranking are usually the result of the scoring method or criteria being altered.

In the ranking of countries, the Netherlands is fifth. The United States has 59 universities represented on the list, with which they still dominate the ranking. The United Kingdom has 29 universities represented, while Germany has 21. Australia, with 12 universities, is also above the Netherlands. A notable increase was recorded fort he Chinese Tsinghua University, that reached the top twenty this year. The makers of the list emphasise that Asian universities are on the rise.

Risk

There is a certain risk of institutes adapting to the outcome. Tilburg University, for example, is currently recruiting a professional whose task is to increase the university’s position in the ranking. There are even instances in the past, where universities considered merging to improve their ranking.

Dutch universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings

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