Aalto University soars high with #1 in Finland in QS Ranking

Aalto University’s ranking rose in this year’s QS World University Ranking. Aalto comes in first among Finnish universities and 109th in the overall worldwide ranking. Last year it was ranked 116 th internationally and 2nd in Finland.

Aalto’s performance was strongest, 39th globally, in the indicator measuring the ability of institutions to ensure a high level of employability for their graduates. In the indicator measuring social and environmental impact of universities, Aalto is ranked 53rd globally. These are new metrics in this ranking and Aalto lands in the top spot in Finland in both.

QS evaluates universities according to nine indicators each of which have different weights: number of research citations per faculty, proportion of international faculty members, proportion of international students, academic reputation, employer reputation, student-to-faculty ratio, employer outcomes, sustainability and international research networks. QS has implemented methodological changes compared to last year.

The QS World Ranking evaluates the top 1 500 universities worldwide, and this year the top spot is again taken by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. Depending on the criteria used, there are between 17 000 and 22 000 universities in the world.

QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) is one of the world’s most important university rankings. In addition to the general rankings, QS produces rankings in specific fields of science and regional rankings. These specific rankings are more relevant to Aalto University than the general rankings, as Aalto specialises in technology, business and arts.