Posted 11 May 2012
Irish higher education system 16th in new ranking published by Universitas 21
New research into national education systems published by Universitas 21 ranks Ireland 16th among 48 countries. The US tops the list, with the Scandinavian countries dominating the top 10. The UK is ranked 10. Ireland lies ahead of Germany, Israel and Japan.
Universitas 21 is an international network of 23 leading research-intensive universities in fifteen countries.
Dr Hugh Brady, President of University College Dublin was appointed chair of U21 at a meeting of the network in Lund, Sweden on 11 May 2012.
Commenting on the publication of the rankings, Dr Brady said the results support other evidence from Ecofin (Economic and Financial Affairs Council) which highlights the Irish education system as one of the most efficient and effective in terms of the graduates we are producing.
“We are conscious that the data used for these rankings is up to 2009 and in our current circumstances we will have to work feverishly together as a country to ensure we hold our place among the world’s elite.” He added.
These national rankings measure twenty factors across four categories: resources, environment, connectivity and output.
Under “resources” the factors consider expenditure per student, expenditure as a percentage of GDP, and expenditure on research & development per head of population. Ireland ranks 12 in this category.
The “environment” factors include participation rates across society and a qualitative measure of the policy and regulatory environment. Ireland ranks 22.
“Connectivity” looks at how well the education system is connected with the rest of the country’s society and is linked internationally in education and research. Ireland ranks 11.
Under “output”, there are nine factors ranging from research impact to unemployment rates among third level graduates compared with unemployment rates for those without higher education qualifications. Ireland is ranked 17th in this category.
The full report on the study is available on: http://www.universitas21.com/news
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
