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The University of Michigan is ranked among world’s leading public and private universities, according to the QS World University Rankings for 2018-19 as well as the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings for 2018.
In the QS World University Rankings, the University was ranked No. 20 among institutions worldwide, and No. 11 among universities in the U.S. The University was the first public U.S. university named on the list, followed by the University of California, Berkeley, ranked at No. 27.
The QS ranking highlighted the University’s history of student activism, living accommodations, vast alumni base and high level of research in all fields.
“There are a number of groups dedicated to various worth causes,” the QS website states. “Some, such as the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), devote themselves to more left-wing causes, in this case holding to account multinational companies that exploit their workers in factories, but there are also conservative groups such as Young Americans for Freedom, as well as non-partisan groups.”
The QS rankings evaluate the factors of faculty-student ratio, percentage of international faculty, percentage of international students, academic reputation and employer reputation. The QS ranking system was created in 2004, and since has grown to highlight more than 900 universities worldwide.
“Michigan has been lauded for having high standards of research, and the university’s comprehensive graduate program offers doctoral degrees in the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields, as well as professional degrees in architecture, business, medicine, law, pharmacy, nursing, social work, public health, and dentistry,” the QS website outlines.
In addition, the University was ranked No. 15 university in the world by the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings. Times Higher Education evaluates universities based on an invitation-only survey, which reaches out to published, academic scholars across the world and asks these individuals to rank no more than 15 universities that excel in research and instruction. The University of Michigan follows University of California, Berkeley at No. 6 and University of California, Los Angeles at No. 9.
The ranking outlines key University statistics, such as an 8.6-1 student-staff ratio, 48-52 female-male ratio, 16 percent student body composed of international students and an estimated $58,000 post graduate salary after 10 years.
“Michigan’s mission is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through ‘preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future,’” the Times Higher Education website states, quoting the U-M mission posted on the Office of the President’s website. “It offers 250 undergraduate majors, 100 doctoral and 200 master’s programmes, as well as more than 1,400 student clubs.”
LSA junior Kieran Byrne feels the University’s high rankings are well deserved. Having focused his studies within the fields of political science and international studies, he highlighted the U-M faculty as key to his positive experiences.
“Studying at U of M is amazing because of the research done by our faculty,” Byrne said. “Multiple times I’ve studied theories in class that were written by U of M professors and are now important ideas in political science.”