The University of Alberta has been ranked 118th in the world by the Times Higher Education 2023 World University Ranking, moving into the top seven per cent internationally. This continues an upward trend for the U of A on the global stage, rising seven places from last year’s standing and 18 places since 2020, while holding steady at sixth in Canada for the 11th year running.
“The U of A’s upward trajectory in this prominent ranking reflects the world-changing contributions of our faculty and staff, our teaching excellence and our role in major national and international research,” says U of A president Bill Flanagan.
“Our entire community contributes to our strength as a global leader tackling the most significant challenges facing the planet. I am so proud of the success that is happening across the social sciences and humanities, natural and applied sciences, and health sciences.”
Times Higher Education determines the overall ranking based on 13 indicators grouped into five key areas: teaching (weighted at 30 per cent of the overall ranking), research (30 per cent), citations (30 per cent), international outlook (7.5 per cent) and industry income (2.5 per cent).
The U of A rose in the teaching area, from 118th internationally in last year’s rankings to 115th this year. This area looks at institutional reputation as well as the staff-to-student ratio, doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio, and ratio of doctorates awarded to academic staff.
In addition to the bump in the teaching-related indicators, the U of A had an astronomical rise in the industry income area, moving from 229th last year to 100th this year. Though it’s the key area with the lowest weighting, a strong showing in this indicator is significant in terms of wider impact, as it’s judged based on an institution’s ability to help industry with innovations.
The U of A’s partnerships with industry have allowed the institution to leverage expertise in critical areas benefiting people in Alberta and beyond, from accelerating progress in quantum technology to creating a made-in-Alberta vaccine and drug development pipeline that will more rapidly take new vaccines and antiviral drugs from discovery to manufacturing.
Times Higher Education has analyzed institutions in its annual international rankings since 2004. This year’s ranking included 1,799 institutions, a record high participation. The U of A’s strong showing in these rankings follows several top 100 international finishes in other significant rankings this year, including 92nd in the Academic Ranking of World Universities and a best-ever rank of 77th by the Center for World University Rankings.
The U of A also placed among the top eight per cent in the world in the 2023 QS World University Rankings, and came 11th in the world and third in Canada in Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings, which evaluates the progress universities are making toward advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.