University of Leicester’s global approach leads to QS World Rankings rise

The University of Leicester’s reputation as a leading global institution for research and teaching has been reaffirmed after a rise in the QS World Rankings 2024.

Leicester rose seven places to 272^nd in the global rankings, which are the most-consulted independent evaluation of the world’s 1,500 top universities. The result puts the University in the top 19% of included institutions.

The rankings also saw the University placed 34^th out of the 91 institutions ranked in the UK.

This year’s edition featured expert opinions of more than 144,000 academics and contributions from 98,000 employers. More than 17.5 million academic research papers were also examined to measure the impact of the research produced by each institution.

The QS World University Rankings also measure the institution’s sustainability records, student employment outcomes, reputations with employers, internationalisation credentials and student-to-academic-staff ratios.

The University of Leicester’s strongest scores were in three internationalisation indicators. It received 94.1 points out of a total of 100 for the International Student Ratio indicator. This measures the total number of students who are foreign nationals and spend at least three months at university as a proportion of the total number of students overall. The points accrued place Leicester at 91^st globally for this indicator.

The University also scored 80.8 for the International Faculty indicator, which measures the percentage of international members of academic and research staff employed by the institution.

Leicester also scored highly in the International Research Network indicator, with a total of 75.7 points. This indicator measures the richness and diversity of an institution's international research partnerships.

Liz Jones, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education, said: “It’s pleasing to see our commitment to international excellence being recognised in the QS World Rankings.

“The University of Leicester has a global outlook, which is strengthened through the development of strong collaborative relationships with overseas partners, and our welcoming of students and staff from across the world.

“Through our strategic partnerships, we aim to produce graduates who are global citizens of change, and whose education and student experience has been enhanced by international perspectives and experiences, gained through their study, research, and extracurricular activities.

“Leicester’s global partnerships also serve to enhance the University, through international collaboration, to improve the scale, quality and global impact of its research. Whether it is collaborating on world leading research projects, or developing innovative co-delivery programmes, the University is excited to cultivate purposeful and sustainable partnerships with leading institutions globally.”