Are Rankings (Still) Fit for Purpose?

Abstract

Global rankings emerged in the early years of the millennium at a time of increasing globalisation of higher education. Initially touted as a transparency instrument, a source of information about higher education for students, parents and the public, rankings have succeeded by comparing quality and performance internationally. They soon became an indicator of university reputation and status and national competitiveness in a world in which knowledge and talent reign supreme. Over the past decades, there has been a close correspondence between their growing influence and the expansion of their product range in terms of rankings by world region, subject and discipline, reputation and impact.