Not long ago, Universitas 21, an international network of universities, published its annual ranking of the best higher education systems in the world. The list consists of 50 different countries and it is based on factors like environment, output, resources and connectivity. However, just one Gulf country managed to find a place on the list and it was not the UAE.
This year’s ranking has not changed much compared to the one from 2012. The leading higher education system continues to be that of the US. In addition, European countries again dominate the bigger part of the chart, especially the Scandinavian states. Asia also performed well on the ranking with a little under ten representatives. Just four countries from Latin America are included on the list.
The only Gulf country on Universitas 21’s ranking is Saudi Arabia which makes its way to the list for the very first time. The government of Saudi Arabia is reported to have the greatest expenditure on higher education as GDP percentage for 2013. In addition, the GCC country ranks among the top 10 countries for resources. Nevertheless, neither UAE, nor any other Gulf country is seen on the ranking.
Here is the list of the 10 best higher education systems in the world for 2013:
- United States (100 points) – The US remains at the first spot thanks to its 5th place in the category Resources and its 3rd position in Environment. Also, the North American country received 100 points for the output of its higher education system.
- Sweden (85.2 points) – This year, Sweden managed to increase its total score. However, that still was not enough to take it to the top spot. The country’s higher education system is among the 5 best in resources, connectivity, as well as in output.
- Switzerland (81.6 points) – This European country climbs 3 positions compared to the previous year. Over the last twelve months, it has increased its score with 1.3 points.
- Canada (80 points) – Unlike Switzerland, Canada registers a decrease from its previous 3rd place on the ranking. Despite that, the country continues to be among the top performers in output and resources.
- Denmark (79.8 points) – Denmark keeps its 2012 ranking position even though its rating has dropped with 1.2 points. The decrease is mainly due to the country’s lower ranking which it received in the Resources category.
- Finland (79.4 points) – This Scandinavian country was found to produce an impressive volume of research articles per head of population. In addition, it enjoys some of the highest enrollment rates.
- Netherlands (78.2 points) – Expenditure on higher education is pretty high in this European country. Also, the Netherlands have the most favourable environment in the world.
- Australia (77.2 points) – Along with Singapore, Australian higher education institutes have the greatest number of international students. Australia also stands out with its good connectivity.
- Singapore (76.6 points) – This country showed the biggest improvement among the top ten entries on the list. Singapore successfully jumped with four positions over the past one year. However, the most impressive thing about this country is that the amount of published articles produced by its higher education system have increased so much that it pushed Singapore 14 spots up on the ranking in this category.
- United Kingdom (74.9 points) – The UK has one of the best output measures. In addition, it enjoys a large popularity among international students.
28. Saudi Arabia (52.3 points)
