A critique of the perception parameter used in the ranking of higher education institutions

The quality of higher education institutions is increasingly signalled by national and global ranking systems that rely on survey-based measures of reputation or perception. However, such indicators are conceptually and methodologically ambiguous and vulnerable to measurement artefacts. This study looks specifically at the Indian case of the ‘perception parameter’ used by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The study employs both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify and interpret abnormalities in the perception parameter. Data are used from the 100 highest-ranked higher education institutions in 2023 and 2024, and a comparison is made with Quacquarelli Symonds’ reputation parameters used in the World University Rankings. The analysis highlights that the perception parameter has several flaws, including a low mean, high variation and many exactly matching scores across ranked Indian higher education institutions. This has implications for higher education institution ranking systems worldwide because they use similar methods to measure institutional reputation.