Reading ratings between the lines

While choosing a university overseas, future students and their parents often look through the league tables, popular ratings of higher education institutions. They often conclude that the universities at the bottom of the rating list are not as good as the others. Is it that simple? What does the position in the table mean in reality? Ratings give guidelines to make choice and organise information, but at the same time they simplify the picture. It is important to understand them to make the most of them.

What do the ratings represent?

 Let’s demonstrate it with an example of the British famous The Complete University Guide, prepared in association with The Independent newspaper. 

The Complete University Guide includes two tables: the first one ranks universities according to their general score; the second one positions them according to the achievements in subject specific areas. The ranking is done against the nine criteria:

The main information sources used at rankings are available here.

University league tables allow ranking the results of any of the nine indicators and even change the score given to a particular criterion in order to build the table that would reflect personal priorities of the entrant. 

Subject specific ranking can be useful for those who have already identified their interests and would like to learn more about the most authoritative universities in the field. 

To learn about other popular university rankings in the UK, Good University Guide by The Times and The Guardian University Guide by The Guardian, please follow the links. 

Statistics and opinion as the basis for rating

Though a rating represents statistical figures, it is based on both statistics and someone’s evaluation.

For example, an institution’s research quality based on academic peers reviews or a number of students graduated with first or upper second class degree are objective indicators, while student satisfaction is not. The Independent points this out explaining the structure of The Complete University Guide - the Student Satisfaction indicator score is grounded on the National Student Survey (NSS).  But “the survey is a measure of student opinion, not a direct measure of quality. It may therefore be influenced by a variety of biases, such as the effect of prior expectations”.  Knowing about the university’s excellent reputation, students may expect wonders of their study, and as a result, they may underscore.  

A low weight in the “Student-Staff Ratio” column revealing a small number of students per one member of teaching staff is a non-direct evidence of the quality. Moreover, this indicator weight is traditionally low in medical schools that positively influences the overall ranking of the university to which this school belongs. 

There are similar restrictions for other criteria as well.  The Independent concludes: “In an exercise such as this, some distortions are inevitable… The use of a variety of indicators is intended to diminish such effects, but they should be borne in mind when making comparisons”. 

What can be left behind the rating?

If you see worthwhile universities at the bottom of the list you don’t have to make hasty conclusion about the quality of their courses. Sometimes, they are quite new and are in the process of developing their academic and resource base; they may have unique equipment and do unique knowledge and research in particular ares, offer good price and other advantages.  The UK universities must meet very high quality standards.  In spite of the fact that the university rating position is associated with their reputation (by both universities and students), some research area or part of the study process can be better developed than others, regardless of the university age or position in the table. 

Ratings give general guidelines

Ratings just give general guidelines and, beyond doubt, provide food for thought.  But only a student himself/herself can conclude whether the ranking gives him/her enough information to take the right decision.  Probably, it may have sense to address other sources as well – in the UK information support for entrants is provided at the highest possible level. 

So, the ratings do the following:

They give expert review of the quality of university activity.  However, the review methodology contains a number of subjective factors which do not allow considering ratings as an entirely objective evaluation tool.

They strengthen university reputation.  The universities at the top of the rating list definitely deserve their position, however, other universities also have something to offer and their courses may turn out to be unique. 

They provide help in choosing a course giving general guidelines but everyone has to set his/her aims and objectives by himself/herself.

Based on the following material: “The Complete University Guide”: “How the League Table works”, “University League Table 2010”, The Independent, April 2009. “How the League Table works”, The Independent, April 2009. “How the League Table works”, The Independent, April 2009.