The university made the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings for the third consecutive year. Above, a look at how other ACC schools fared.
When graduates begin applying for jobs in today’s competitive globalized marketplace, the name “University of Maryland, College Park” will likely be a big selling point.
The university recently made its first appearance in the Times Higher Education’s annual World Reputation Rankings, which lists the top 100 most powerful university brands in the world. The university has previously broached the top 100 overall, but the additional recognition by higher education experts is a boost to the institution.
“This is huge,” said Ross Lewin, associate vice president for international affairs. “It’s extremely important for the University of Maryland. When you graduate and can say you graduated from a school recognized as one of the top 100 in the world, the value of your degree just increased.”
The World Reputation Rankings rely on the world’s largest invitation-only survey of academic opinion, which is collected from scholars who are statistically representative of both their country and discipline.
The 2013 rankings are based on responses collected last spring from 16,639 experienced, published scholars in 144 countries. Those scholars offered their views on excellence in research and teaching by naming no more than 15 institutions they believe to be the best at the discipline in which they specialize.
“The rest of the world doesn’t read the US News & World Report,” Lewin said. “Times Higher Education’s ranking is regarded as arguably the most respected assessment of worldwide standing. It is the standard.”
Lewin also highlighted the importance of reputation in attracting international students and expanding international exchange programs, which provides students with a more diverse classroom experience on the state’s flagship campus as well as opportunities for international travel, both valuable experiences in today’s global marketplace.
One international student from Singapore has decided to spend all four years of his undergraduate studies at this university.
“I liked the location of this university, how close it is to Washington, D.C. — and the quality of life here,” freshman Yu Tay said. “Rankings did draw me to this school, too. I did some research, particularly looking for good business programs, and found that this school has a good reputation.”
The World Reputation Rankings contribute to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, which evaluate world-class universities across all of their core missions — teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Although this is the first year the university has appeared in the top 100 for its reputation, it has been ranked in the top 100 every year since the list was first released in 2011. This year, the university ranked 97th, a fall from 2012’s 94 ranking but still better than its No. 98 spot in 2011.
Lewin credits the efforts and caliber of this university’s faculty, students and senior administrators, particularly university President Wallace Loh, with earning the top 100 ranking for reputation.
“We have President Loh consistently speaking about internationalization and forging partnerships with institutions around the world,” Lewin said, “and we have many students studying abroad, going out into the world as ambassadors, adding to the positive perception of this university. That’s how you get on those lists when the surveys go out.”
In the reputation rankings, six global “superbrands” held onto their top spots — Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Cambridge; University of Oxford; University of California, Berkeley; and Stanford University — as they have since the annual rankings began, despite some shifts in rank.
However, several international students said they had been drawn to the programs offered exclusively on this campus.
Many students and families in China consider an American education to be “a dream,” said Xiaodi “Charlie” Ding, an exchange student from China. His university in China offered exchange programs with several universities, but the junior mechanical engineering major chose to spend one semester at this university because of its strong reputation for engineering.
“This is the second year my school has done this program with the University of Maryland,” Ding said. “I asked former students about their experience with the program, and they both highly recommended it.”
In the reputation rankings, the top-50 universities receive individually numbered rankings, while the rest of the top 100 are placed in ranges. This university ranked in the 91 to 100 range.
Despite the university’s prominent reputation, international students compose only 3 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment, Lewin said.
“But we hope to make that 8 percent in the near future,” he said. “And hopefully this new ranking will make that very easy.”
