After being ranked joint number one private university in the country by the Times Higher Education (THE), Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management  Sciences has bagged the same position under the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings-2024.

Shoolini University has been bracketed at number one position among private universities with Chandigarh University, as per the rankings released by the world’s most-consulted university rankings in London on Wednesday.

Both THE and QS are considered global gold standards for rankings of higher education institutions.The 20th edition of the world’s most-consulted university rankings has placed Shoolini University among the top universities of the world in the 771-780 bracket and overall at 20th rank in India.

Last year, while Shoolini University and Chandigarh University, both less than 15-year-old, figured in the bracket of 801-1000, the well-established Panjab University was ranked in the 1201-1400 bracket which has this time ranked in the 1001-1200 bracket.

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, has bagged the first rank in India followed by IIT Delhi and the Indian Institute of Science.

Shoolini University has also been placed at rank 319  for citations per faculty and at 545 rank for international faculty in the world. While it is number one in India for citations per faculty, the university has been ranked 5th in the country  for international faculty.

Congratulating the faculty and students of the university for the winning streak in rankings, Chancellor Prof P K Khosla said it was the result of a sustained dedicated work to enhance the standard of education in the university.

Pro Chancellor Mr Vishal Anand said it was a remarkable achievement for a 13 year old university and it was poised to achieve many more such milestones. Vice Chancellor Prof Atul Khosla said the latest top rankings have reinforced the accolades the university has been getting in the past couple of years. “Such recognition would propel us to work harder and bring glory to the country”.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ranking and to reflect the growth in data availability and changing priorities of students and society at large over the past two decades, QS has implemented the largest methodological enhancement since its inception. It is done by introducing three new metrics: Sustainability, Employment Outcomes and International Research Network, and adjusting the weighting of some existing indicators, namely Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, and Faculty Student Ratio.

This year’s QS World University Rankings is the largest ever, with 1,500 universities across 104 locations, up from 1418 last year. The results account for the distribution and performance of 17.5 million academic papers published between 2017 and 2021 and the 141.6 million citations received by those papers; they also account for the expert opinions of over 144,000 academic faculty and over 98,000 employers around the world.

Globally Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been ranked at number 1 while  University of Cambridge and University of Oxford have been ranked second and third respectively. Harvard and Stanford universities have ranked four and fifth.

QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter said: “The 2024 QS World University Rankings represents a major step in the evolution of the exercise, marking the most significant innovation in its methodological paradigm since its inception two decades ago. More than ever, it aligns with Gen Z and Alpha priorities, providing institutions with a unique lens through which to assess their performance in areas paramount to shaping a brighter future for generations to come.”