World University Rankings: Peculiarities and Differences in Methodology

This paper analyses world university rankings. Rankings remain a tool for assessing the effectiveness of edu-cational activities of both individual universities and national educational systems as a whole. The work consid-ers the methodologies of the QS World University Rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (AR-WU), the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE), and the Moscow International University Ranking “Three Missions of the University”. Global rankings of leading universities can be based on various indicators and criteria, such as: academic reputation, quality of teaching and research activities, publication activity of faculties, international cooperation, university infrastructure and resources, as well as international influence and attractiveness for students. However, it is important to note that the methodology of university rankings has its own peculiarities and limitations. University rankings can be subjective, not taking into account all aspects of university activity and regional, political, and social peculiarities of higher education systems.