Methodology

Consult the complete methodology and analysis of the main results here

What are university rankings?

University rankings classify universities, allowing them to be compared by concentrating heterogeneous data on their characteristics and results in one indicator. However, although these rankings simplify complexity, they provide a straightforward classification with the advantages and disadvantages that this entails: they offer a more user-friendly assessment for those who do not have the time or the preparation to analyze the performance of a university in depth but they conceal differences between universities that could be of significance.

Given the nature of how they are constructed, transparency and rigour are inalienable principles when creating rankings. Excessive simplification is dangerous and, whenever possible, a ranking system should provide different information on the main missions of universities – teaching, and research and innovation – allowing the achievements of each institution in each area to be compared. Furthermore, as universities do not always perform equally in the various fields of knowledge, it makes sense that the rankings also allow their performance to be compared in areas of knowledge and specific qualifications.

Constructing a ranking involves a certain amount of subjectivity when selecting variables, and building and weighting indicators. In order to limit the effects of subjectivity, it is important to provide a detailed explanation of the methodology used and allow the user to express preferences for teaching or research and innovation thus creating a personalized ranking.

What does the U-Ranking project offer?

The U-Ranking project has created a set of Synthetic Indicators of the Spanish University System, taking into account the above-mentioned criteria and following the recommendations of specialized literature and experts on creating indicators.

The U-Ranking project indicators represent four major contributions making it a precise tool which, in addition to being easy to use and access, is useful for managers and experts in higher education, as well as for students and career counsellors alike:

• Classifying universities according to both the volume of results (U-Ranking Volume) and their performance (U-Ranking), while assessing the effect of university size.
• Examining the main missions of universities - teaching, and research and innovation - providing rankings for each area.
• Offering rankings for various qualifications, facilitating a very useful and user-friendly tool to choose the university in which to study.
• Allowing users to obtain a personalized ranking by responding to the questions “what to study”, “where” and “what are your preferences for education and research”.

What is the methodology of U-Ranking?

To create a ranking, it is necessary to select variables and manage, homogenize and incorporate diverse data. The complete process followed in the U-Ranking project is explained in detail in the reference document, with a summary below:

1. Once the relevant variables have been selected and the sources analyzed, the indicators are standardized so that their magnitude is comparable.
2. The indicators are weighted and aggregated to create level 1 synthetic indicators in four areas –Resources, Output, Quality and Internationalization - for each of the dimensions –Teaching, and Research and Innovation-.
3. The areas of each dimension are weighted and aggregated to create two level 2 indicators: Teaching, and Research and Innovation.
4. In the case of degree rankings, the user is asked about their preferences regarding the importance of each of these dimensions.
5. The two dimensions are weighted and aggregated to obtain one level 3 synthetic indicator, or a final ranking.

What information is used to construct the ranking?

The first two editions of the U-Rankings project analyzed the 48 Spanish public universities. From the 2015 editon private universities have been included with sufficient public information available. In the 2020 edition, 22 private universities have been included. Data is provided by public statistics and information systems.

To assess universities’ activities in each of their large dimensions —teaching, and research and innovation—, the following four areas have been studied:

• Resources
• Output
• Quality
• Internationalization

Each of the four areas mentioned above has been analyzed using a series of indicators. For each area, between one and three indicators have been taken into account, depending on the availability and suitability of data, and according to the dimension that is being studied. The following table describes the indicators used, their sources, period and disaggregation.

Consult the complete methodology and analysis of the main results here