A new ranking of the best schools in the world named Universidad de Los Andes as Colombia’s best university. The prestigious institution located in Bogotá’s historic center also finished eighth among all universities in Latin America, while Universidad Nacional de Colombia took 10th place in the region.
The annual “QS World University Rankings” have been complied by the United Kingdom-based educational firm Quacquarelli Symonds since 2004. The study evaluated 800 schools across the world in the 2016 edition — including 300 in Latin America and 41 in Colombia — based on six key performance indicators.
Most impressively, Los Andes received a 99.9 score it the academic reputation category. Its overall grade of 93.3 out of 100, however, was weighed down by its relatively poor faculty-to-student ratio and the low number of citations received by the school’s research work. Its eighth-place finish in the region also represents an ongoing fall in the standings for Colombia’s best university, which ranked fourth in Latin America in 2013.
Despite the lower ranking this year, it should be noted that there is very little difference between the top-tier schools in Latin America, and any attempt to quantify educational success is always fraught with complications. The authors of the study had nothing but praise for Los Andes. “Due to its constant innovation in course offerings and teaching methodologies it has been at the vanguard of education since its creation,” states the organization. “Teacher training and the commitment to quality, according to international standards, allow the university to guarantee the quality of its educational programs, centers, and projects.”
Universidad Nacional was similarly penalized by its faculty ratio and lack of research citations. Despite scoring a perfect 100.0 in both academic reputation and the category measuring how prospective employers view the school’s graduates, U Nal only received an overall score of 88.5 out of 100.
Though this left – if slightly behind Los Andes in quality – the acclaimed public university can claim another honor: Colombia’s biggest university. “With a history spanning 140 years, a staff of nearly 3000 professors, and over 46,000 students, it is the largest and most important university in the country,” states the report. “It is truly national, with a presence in four of the country’s main urban centers, as well as on four satellite campuses in some of the most remote areas on the country, ranging from the Caribbean to the Amazon.”
As for the universities that beat out Colombia’s best schools, Brazil’s Universidade de São Paulo finished first in the region with a perfect score of 100.0. The top five was rounded out by two other Brazilian colleges — Universidade Estadual de Campinas and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro — as well as Chile’s Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile and Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Other Colombian universities also fared well in the study. Universidad de Antioquia (22nd), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (28th), and Universidad del Valle (48th) each made the top 50, while Colombia placed a total of 12 schools in the top 100. Brazil led all countries with 24 in the top 100. It was followed by Argentina (19), Chile (15), Mexico (14), and Colombia (12).
