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Why is KCL ranked so low in the UK but 19th in the world?

I don't understand the league tables.

KCL ranked 23rd in the UK. And LSE is 3rd
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings

However in QS World university rankings KCL is 19th. Its higher than LSE which is 35th in the world?
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings

Reply 1

Xotol

Well, different sites use and weight criteria differently. Kings generally have terrible student satisfaction (and this is true) which drags down an overall score that is weighted relatively heavily on student satisfaction. OTOH, in their site you've linked, their research quality and graduate prospects are pretty comparable even to the 'best' unis. So it depends on what you want from a uni. However, if you are going to look at league tables, it's probably more worth your time looking at subject specific ones as unis don't have the same score for every single subject.

Reply 2

Josb

Because national and international rankings don't use the same data. The former rely on student satisfaction, students/profs ratio, etc., whilst the latter use research citations, Nobel prizes, industry income, etc.

Moreover I don't think the QS is very reliable. I prefer the THE:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/100

Finally don't base your choice on international rankings, those are more relevant for postgraduates.

Reply 3

cambio wechsel

chasteningly, Britons struggle with this much more than do Americans. The Forbes rankings every year and in the same issue of the magazine call Berkeley 3rd best in the world and 60th in the US and no-one raises an eyebrow.

Reply 4

Okorange

Original post by cambio wechsel

That is mainly because Americans don't ever look at World Rankings because they live in America and America is more less all that matters.

Sounds like i'm joking but its half true.

Reply 5

Fullofsurprises

Original post by cambio wechsel

Sounds like the Forbes rankings are even more odd than some of the UK ones. Who seriously believes that Berkeley only ranks. 60th in the US?

Reply 6

cambio wechsel

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Sounds like the Forbes rankings are even more odd than some of the UK ones. Who seriously believes that Berkeley only ranks. 60th in the US?

there are 59 better schools at which to do an undergraduate degree, is what is claimed by that table. These will include Williams and Amherst and Harvey Mudd and Purdue. What the other table claims, and perhaps rightly, is that of these 59 schools, only two are better as universities qua universities, by which is meant ideas factories.

The TSR consituency has big problems with the Guardian table that reveals in its methodology that it is ranking for the undergraduate experience, as the first table in Forbes is doing. It's as if someone looks at a survey ranking cars for fuel efficiency and then starts rocking back and forth head in hands and repeatedly moaning "but Jaguar is surely better than Prius..." Well, not on specifically this metric.

"Private meetings"

Original post by cambio wechsel

The TSR consituency has big problems with the Guardian table that reveals in its methodology that it is ranking for the undergraduate experience, as the first table in Forbes is doing. It's as if someone looks at a survey ranking cars for fuel efficiency and then starts rocking back and forth head in hands and repeatedly moaning "but Jaguar is surely better than Prius..." Well, not on specifically this metric.

Perhaps your assessment is over-simplistic. Some people on here do disagree with the methodological criteria and weighting Guardian uses, rather than simply offering "Well, that can't be right!".

Reply 9

cambio wechsel

Original post by callum_law

Perhaps your assessment is over-simplistic. Some people on here do disagree with the methodological criteria and weighting Guardian uses, rather than simply offering "Well, that can't be right!".

you're right of course that some people do that. Still, there are some that do the other.

Reply 10

El Salvador

Original post by Okorange

That is mainly because Americans don't ever look at World Rankings because they live in America and America is more less all that matters.

Sounds like i'm joking but its half true.

There are countries other than America???