KTH Climbs in Influential University Ranking

“QS has informed me that we’ve moved up to 142nd in this year's edition of their rankings. It’s an extraordinarily strong improvement to gain 38 postitions [in one year],” says Per-Anders Östling, responsible for handling university rankings at KTH.

Östling goes on to say that there are a number of reasons for the big jump up on the list. Above all, KTH has performed very well in QS’s “Academic Reputation” questionnaire sent to researchers at universities around the world. This peer judgment of the university’s standing is weighted at 40 percent of the overall ranking. 

KTH has also done well on the “Employer Reputation” questionnaire that asks companies to specify from which universities they prefer to recruit graduates.  

“The Royal Institute of Technology has a strong brand, and we can see this in the parameter “Number of Instructors and Researchers per Student,” says Östling. The latest result is KTH’s strongest to date in the QS World University Rankings. 

“Coming in at 142 is excellent. Let’s not forget that there are 17,500 universities in the world, and the QS rankings are very well-known and widely recognised. The QS organisation is also good at marketing and reaches a wide audience. It’s relatively important in parts of the world where rankings play a major role,” Östling says.

KTH President Peter Gudmundson says the news is positive for KTH, but adds that all such rankings should be taken with a grain of salt.

“There are no absolute truths to be found here, but when I look at the universities on the list, it fairly accurately matches my own views on which ones are successful. Rankings are very important for prospective students, especially internationally. This increases KTH’s attraction value,” Gudmundson says. 

He also notes that an analysis of the various parameters considered in the ranking shows that KTH has improved across the board. “The main weighting in the QS rankings is based on surveys of researchers and employers. It’s gratifying that KTH's brand is strong and that it continues to strengthen,” says Gudmundson.

By Peter Larsson

For more information: Per-Anders Östling, +46-8-790-7203; paos@kth.se.