In the recently published Shanghai ranking (Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008), the University of Aarhus has advanced from the group of universities ranked as numbers 102–150 in the world to number 93, and from the group of universities ranked as numbers 35–56 in Europe to number 31.

“The clear aim of the University of Aarhus is to be among the top 100 in the world. It’s good that we’ve advanced to number 93 in the world in this ranking, and to number 31 in Europe, and I have no doubt that the University of Aarhus has the potential to come even further up,” says Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, who is also pleased that Denmark now has two universities in the top 100.

“We mustn’t let ourselves be dictated by different ranking systems and the criteria they use to assess the universities. However, regardless of what you feel about the ranking, a good position is very significant today when students and researchers need to choose another country in which to continue their careers. This is why we should be pleased that – with the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aarhus – Denmark now has two universities among the top 100 of the approximately 17,000 universities in the world,” he says.

More than one thousand universities from around the world were assessed in the Shanghai ranking, which places great emphasis on the publication of international scientific articles and citations of researchers – particularly research areas in science and technology.

“The University of Aarhus offers a wide range of subjects, and it would therefore improve our position if the same importance attached to science was placed on all the academic areas. The good thing about the Shanghai ranking is that it collects its information from well-known databases that are available to everyone, compared with rankings such as the British THES system, which is based on more subjective criteria,” says Mr Holm-Nielsen.

Read more about the Shanghai ranking at: www.arwu.org/rank2008/EN2008.htm

More information

Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, tel. +45 8942 1141, mobile +45 2338 2126

Publicity Manager Anders Correll, tel. +45 8942 2331, mobile +45 2899 2235