Mailkhan Zulfugar Abdin

COMPARATIVE METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY RANKINGS (QS, THE, ARWU)

Abstract. The most influential and widely used international rankings are the QS World University Rankings, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE), and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Despite their shared goal of globally ranking universities based on their achievements, these systems differ significantly in their methodological approaches, indicators, weightings, and data sources. These differences often lead to uneven ranking results, which frequently become the subject of academic debate. The methodological features of rankings are of great importance, as the selected criteria influence not only the final university ranking but also the interpretation of the concepts of “quality,” “prestige,” and “effectiveness” in higher education. For example, some rankings focus primarily on scientific publications and citations, while others focus on academic reputation, internationalization, or teaching. Therefore, a comparative analysis of the methodologies of leading international rankings allows us to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as determine the objectivity and representativeness of their results. The purpose of this article is to conduct a comparative methodological analysis of the international rankings of QS, THE, and ARWU to identify differences in their approaches to university assessment, determine their conceptual foundations, and assess the impact of methodological features on the final ranking results.

Keywords: university, assessment, quality, international rating, international ranking