Ecuadortimes:
Four universities in Ecuador are part of the ranking for 2020 of the 1,000 best universities in the world. This was reported Wednesday in the sixteenth edition of the QS World University Rankings.
Those Ecuadorian universities are: San Francisco de Quito, in category 751-800; followed in category 801-1000 by the Escuela Politécnica Nacional (Quito), the Escuela Superior Politécnica-Espol (Guayaquil) and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Quito).
The ranking, produced by international higher education consultant QS Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluates the 1,000 best universities in the world.
In Latin America
The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) has been named the best university in Latin America, for the fifth consecutive year, among the 88 Latin American universities that appear in the Top1000, and is the only Latin American university that enters in the Top100.
The second best Latin American university is Mexican, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), which climbs to 103rd place. Its upward trajectory year after year suggests that next year if it continues like this it could enter the global Top 100.
Of those 88 universities, the country with the most representation is Brazil, with a total of 19 universities in the ranking. Despite the fact that 8 of the 10 best universities in Latin America are also Brazilian, their performance is beginning to show some signs of decline. This is due to high teacher/student ratios, declines in international popularity, and declining employability of graduates.
In general, there have been improvements in the competitiveness of Latin American institutions, with almost twice as many improvements as decreases, says the QS World University Rankings 2020 communiqué.
The best in the world
Three U.S. universities top the list of the best in the world, according to this ranking:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), which ranks first, beating the record for the eighth consecutive year.
Stanford University (USA)
Harvard University (USA)
University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
California Institute of Technology (USA)
ETH Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland)
University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
UCL (United Kingdom)
Imperial College London (United Kingdom)
University of Chicago (USA)
QS research compares information from around the world, measuring:
Academic Standards: How the international academic community values a particular institution
Employability record: How human resources managers value graduates of a particular institution
Quality of research: A given institution publishes research of high quality and impact, as well as in high quantities.
Teacher capacity: Ratio teacher/student of the institution
Internationalization: In an increasingly connected sector, a given institution enjoys recognition from the international community of students and teachers. (I)
