An Assessment of Global University Rankings: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

• In Event: International Perspectives on Rankings and Higher Education Quality Assurance

Abstract

The ever-increasing internationalization and marketization of higher education have catered the perfect context for global rankings to become the main device to inform decision and policy making in higher education, despite widespread criticisms about methodological flaws in their design. Considering their critical role in shaping policy and practice in higher education, our purpose was to examine the most renowned rankings –ARWU, THE, and QS – and assess the extent to which these are informative measures of institutional performance. Preliminary analyses show these rankings are measuring the same underlying construct, which based on appears to correspond to perceived prestige. Indicators about institutional characteristics are not reliable measures of this underlying construct.

Authors

• Paulina Perez Mejias, Foreign Service Institute

• Alberto F. Cabrera, University of Maryland

• Roxana Chiappa, University of Washington - Seattle

• Kristin LaRiviere, University of Maryland - College Park