The University of Zurich (UZH) announced on March 13 this year that it would no longer provide data for the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking. As the alma mater of the well-known physicist Albert Einstein and with its association with 12 Nobel Prize laureates, UZH’s decision to quit the THE ranking was like a bomb dropped on the realm of academia. According to the news released, UZH withdrew from the THE World University Ranking as “the ranking is not able to reflect the wide range of activities in teaching and research undertaken by universities.” UZH emphasized that the rankings “generally focus on measurable output, which can have unintended consequences.”

The possible consequences a global university ranking can bring about have been a topic of enduring discussion. Many claim that these rankings push universities to pursue measurable outputs that help boost their ranking. This may lead to a concentration of resources being invested into certain fields and disciplines that are able to churn out considerable amounts of research, intensifying the unfairness of resource allocation. Moreover, the quality of teaching and research may be compromised if universities focus too much on publishing. At the same time, universities using their rankings as one of the main means of attracting potential students is becoming an increasingly common practice, as apparent from taking a look at universities’ official websites and social media accounts.

One should always be reminded that university rankings do not necessarily reflect the realities of a student’s experience on campus. Take our many undergraduate students as an example. Most spend a large amount of their time in university attending lectures given by notable professors in high-tech lecture halls, gathering with friends in meeting rooms, and preparing for examinations at huge tables in the library. All of these experiences are impossible to evaluate based on a quantitative measure like university rankings.

Nonetheless, such a quantitative measure can give us a brief insight into the reputation of academic institutions, making the selection process easier for students when they apply to university. One can identify renowned universities—on a regional or local scale—just by looking at university rankings. Imagine that there are no rankings published. How can students narrow down the potential universities that they will apply to out of a huge pool of options? As an international student myself, I was able to easily identify the renowned universities and departments in Korea, that offer the courses I was looking for, by looking at various rankings. At the same time, some other indicators used by university rankings, like the international members ratio, gave me a hint into how accommodating different programs are towards international students.

No matter what your stance is regarding university ranking systems, one cannot deny that looking at rankings is the most reliable way to assess and compare universities, as non-quantitative factors are almost impossible to standardize for comparison. When we look at university rankings, we should always try and find out what the evaluation methods are for deciding them. Moreover, examining the different rankings of a single university might give us insight into the strengths and weaknesses of a university and a better understanding of the evaluation criterion of ranking systems. As an example, Seoul National University is ranked 41st in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking and 2nd in the THE World University Ranking, while Yonsei University is ranked 76th in both. One can thus look into why the rankings appear so different for these institutions. The extra work of cross-analysis is necessary as it is not enough to rely on a single ranking system to get the insight that we are looking for.

We may never reach a consensus on whether or not university ranking systems should exist in our society. It seems that there is no better and more efficient way of comparing universities than through the currently available rankings. Despite this, we should always think about what we can learn from these rankings. If a ranking can effectively point out the shortcomings of a university, it can be used as a reference for students to find alternative universities to avoid those drawbacks. At the same time, a university may also identify and be motivated to improve upon its shortcomings, as evident through its ranking.

According to the 2024 QS World University Ranking, many Korean universities saw a drop in their ranking. SNU was not an exception and scored only 36.9 out of 100 for the criterion of international research network, 11.5 out of 100 for the criterion of international faculty, and 14.5 out of 100 for the international students ratio criteria. These results are particularly relevant to many international students including myself. This criterion doesn’t necessarily mean that a particular university is not performing well in its teaching or research activities but can give a hint of the perspective of international students on whether or not the university is a good choice for them. A low ratio of international members may mean less accessibility to university facilities and services as well as classes for students who don’t know Korean. If international students want to fully immerse themselves in their academic environment, they must know if they need to pick up the language or attend a different institution.

While I admit that the existence of university rankings can pose several dilemmas, I personally feel that SNU having a favorable rank is of no harm; in fact, it fulfills one of my qualifications for choosing a university. I believe that other members of our university may feel the same way. While some people may solely focus on the rankings of universities when deciding where to apply, others may simply want to know how various universities are performing according to their ranks. Regardless, we should always be reminded that rankings are just a quantitative measure that cannot paint a complete picture of one's academic experience.