QS ranking 2024: better results for French institutions

For 20 years, Quacquarelli Symonds, British analyst of international higher education, has published the QS World University Ranking, and the firm assessed about 1,500 institutions throughout the world this year (1,499 vs 1,422 last year) implemented in about 100 countries.

Four French institutions in the Top 100 and 12 in the Top 500

By proposing a new methodology this year, QS shows “its desire to emphasise employability and sustainability indicators, which complement its transversal evaluation of the missions of higher education and research institutions”. This is the opinion of the French Ministry of Higher Education, which notes that the 2024 ranking “highlights the investment of researchers and teacher-researchers from 35 French institutions (three more than last year)”.

The Top 100 includes the now traditional four leading French institutions:

• PSL University (in 24th position, up 2 places and therefore in the Top 25). According to the Ministry, it thus retains its “position as France’s leading university”, with a 7th position in Europe (+1) and a 24th position in the world (+2);
• Institut Polytechnique de Paris (38th, +10);
• Sorbonne Université (59th, +1);
• Paris Saclay (71st).

In the Top 500 are 12 additional French institutions located in the Ile-de-France region and other regions: Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (184th), École des Ponts Paris Tech (192th), Université Paris Cité (236th), Université Grenoble Alpes (294th), Sciences Po Paris (319th), Université Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne (328th), Université de Montpellier (382th), Aix-Marseille Université (387th +100 positions), INSA Lyon (392th), Université de Strasbourg (421th), Université Lyon 1 – Claude Bernard (452th) and Université de Bordeaux (465th).

To be noted: the entry in the ranking of three new institutions: the universities of Franche-Comté, Limoges and Sorbonne Paris Nord.

The fruits of the investment policy of France

The Minister for Higher Education congratulated the 35 French institutions ranked, “more than two-thirds of which have improved or maintained their position compared with last year”. For the Minister, the “very good performance of French institutions in terms of international collaboration reinforces the government’s policy of long-term investment in research, with the France 2030 investment programmes”. These results also show, continued the Minister, “how essential the levers made available under the research programming law will be for French research in the years to come”.

According to QS, which also commented on the results, French universities scored well on a number of counts, including the fact that the merged universities “demonstrate consistent academic excellence”. QS also praises the collaboration between French institutions in international research, as well as their high-impact, widely-cited research and the “significant reputation” of their institutions among international employers.

An enhanced methodology

Considered to be one of the three most important university rankings in the world, along with Time Higher Education and the Shanghai ranking, the QS World University Ranking has adopted a new methodology for this year’s edition, based on nine indicators, three of which have been introduced this year: the international research network (5%), employment outcomes (5%) and sustainability (5%).

The other indicators have remained the same: academic reputation (30%), quotes (20%), reputation with employers (15%), faculty/student ratio (10%), importance of international faculty (5%), international student ratio (5%).