UL Achieves the Highest Results in Latvia in QS World University Rankings EECA 2021

The University of Latvia (UL) has achieved the highest results among Latvian higher education institutions in the internationally recognized Emerging Europe and Central Asia University Rankings 2021, taking the 41st place and at the same time also occupying the leading 1st place among all higher education institutions according to the indicator assessing the proportion of lecturers with doctoral degrees, informs the creators of the rankings.

The rankings are based on several indicators, the most important of which are the global reputation, the university's reputation among employers, as well as citation and number of publications, the ratio of lecturers to students, the ratio of lecturers holding a doctoral degree, and the proportion of foreign students and faculty.

The results of the University of Latvia in EECA 2021 rankings have improved in four indicators. The highest results were obtained by the UL according to the indicator of lecturers with a doctoral degree, where UL occupies the high 1^st place. The University of Latvia has also obtained a high score in the indicator, which considers the average number of scientific publications and citations produced in faculties and structural units – the 20th place. The UL has also risen in the assessment of academic reputation – the 46^th place and has achieved a higher evaluation according to the indicator that evaluates the proportion of foreign lecturers in the university – the 56^th place. The UL also ranks high according to the indicator of international research network – the 44^th place and in the assessment according to employer reputation – the 50^th place.

“This is a good starting point to enter the 30s of the 21st century. The growth and recognition of the University of Latvia in Europe and Central Asia will increase the competition among foreign students, as well as the lecturers from abroad who aspire to study and conduct their research at the University of Latvia”, emphasizes the UL Vice-Rector for Natural Sciences, Technology and Medicine Professor Valdis Segliņš. “For the second consecutive year, the university consistently attains the highest place in Latvia in this ranking. These results confirm that we are on the right path of growth and indicate the directions that call for greater attention. More and more young researchers are involved in the scientific and research work of the university, which is also reflected in these results, where we take the highest place this year – the 1^st place according to the indicator, which attests to the proportion of lecturers holding a doctoral degree,” V. Segliņš expresses his satisfaction with the results of the rankings.

The QS World University Rankings “EECA 2021” also encompasses other higher education institutions of Latvia: Riga Technical University – the 57^th place, Riga Stradiņš University – the 121^st, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies takes the 200^th–220^th place, whereas Daugavpils University is the 251^st–300^th, and the Institute of Transport and Communications ranks 351^st–400^th.

EECA 2021 is headed by M. Lomonosov Moscow State University, which retains the 1^st place for several years, the 2^nd place has been taken by University of Tartu, whereas the 3^rd place – by Saint Petersburg State University.

QS University Rankings stands among the world's most influential and recognised university rankings. In total, the rankings provide the assessment of the 400 best universities in the region, of which 52 are included in the list for the first time.

More information about the results of QS World University Rankings EECA 2021 is available here: https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/eeca-rankings/2021