Rankings
You are here: About Aarhus University » Profile » Rankings

About Aarhus University

Rankings

In recent years, Aarhus University has been moving up in the most important international rankings. Among over 17,000 universities world-wide, Aarhus University is ranked in the top 100 by the two most influential rankings, THE-QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. A high ranking is an important competitive advantage for a university seeking to attract and retain the best students, researchers and partners.

The rankings are based on a range of quantitative variables and allow us to evaluate Aarhus University's performance relative to other major international universities. However, rankings should never stand alone in the evaluation of a specific academic area.  In such cases, it is necessary to draw on the expertise of recognised authorities in the field.

Aarhus University's standing in selected rankings

Ranking

2009

2008

2007

Standing in Scandinavia

Standing in Europe

Content

THE-QS

63

81

114

2

20

Reflects the university's total score within six selected variables

Shaghai ARWU

97

93

102

7

31

Reflects the university's total score within six selected variables

Leiden - Crown Indicator

-

105

-

3

24

Compares the university's total citation rate with the norm for the research areas in which the university works.

Taiwan - HEEACT

101

118

132

6

28

 Compares the quality and quantity of the universities' publications

Please contact Søren Thomsen for more information on Aarhus University’s work on rankings.

Comments on content: 
Jesper Merrild Knudsen

Revised 30.08.2010

The various ranking systems are based on different criteria, which explains why the same university often has a different rank on each list.

THE-QS

The Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings are based on a conception of a world-class university as an internationally-oriented institution of higher education with a focus on quality in research, teaching and employment opportunities. The performance parameters measured are Academic Peer Review, Employer Review, Faculty Student Ratio, Citations per Faculty, International Faculty and International Students.

ARWU

The Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities measures universities’ performance within different areas, focusing particularly on researcher and alumnae awards and published articles in addition to performance relative to size of academic staff.

Leiden

The Leiden Ranking is primarily focused on publication. The so-called 'Crown indicator' is especially interesting, as it isolates publication frequency within precisely the fields of study which are relevant for a particular university. The Leiden ranking is based on statistical material covering several years.

CHE
 Centre for Higher Education Development's ExcellenceRanking ranks specific scientific domains of European universities. The ranking focuses on the university's research strengths and internationalisation.

Various scientific domains on AU, eg. Politic Science, are ranked in CHE's Excellence Group .