The field of participants in the ranking has once again grown significantly to a total of 1,171 young universities. Compared to last year, 208 more “young universities” (i.e. universities founded less than 50 years ago) joined the international ranking – an increase of 22 percent. Despite this strong increase in competition, the University of Passau secured 66th place and defended its fourth place in Germany. In the global comparison, University remains among the leading 10 percent. The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings assess universities' performance in research, teaching and knowledge transfer. Citations and internationality also play a role.
“I am delighted for the entire university and with everyone involved. We stay young and agile thanks to our students. Passau is an attractive place to live and study for an academic education of the highest calibre, and our research and teaching are at the cutting edge. Together we will continue to build up our innovative drive and future orientation”, said University President Ulrich Bartosch.
Bavarian Science Minister, Markus Blume, also offered his congratulations: “The University of Passau is a real feel-good place for the best time of your life, and the excellent position in this highly renowned ranking for younger universities is proof of this. The study programmes are innovative, international and interdisciplinary, and the quality of life is legendary! My heartfelt congratulations to all those who brought about this great success and a clear recommendation for everyone thinking about enrolling here as a student.”
The Young University Ranking uses the same 18 performance indicators as the “age-independent” THE World University Rankings, which are open to all universities throughout the world. However, the weightings of these indicators are slightly adjusted to reflect the performance characteristics of younger universities more closely. This year, universities founded between 1974 and 2023 were eligible to participate. Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) once again leads the 2024 ranking, followed by French university PSL (Paris) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who swapped places compared to last year’s ranking.