Trinity College is ranked in top 100 world universities by Times Higher Education Supplement League Tables
Posted on: 05 October 2006
Trinity College has been ranked in the top 100 world universities and top 25 European universities by the Times Higher Education Supplement’s just published world ranking of universities. The College which has earned 78th place in the world rankings is the only Irish university to make it into the top 100. This is the highest ranking the College has ever achieved.
Within Europe, Trinity comes 25th in the latest survey, ahead of well known institutions such as the Sorbonne in Paris, York and Durham universities and the University of Oslo among others.
A total of 3703 academics from around the world were surveyed on their disciplines and these views account for 40% of the score. In addition, 736 international employers were surveyed and their views count for 10%. The other half is made up of staff: student ratio (20%), citations of major papers (20%), international staff (5%) and international students (5%).
Commenting on the significance of the achievement, TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty said: “We are, of course, very pleased with our continuing improvement in the world-wide university rankings and ongoing international recognition from academics and employers as Ireland’s premier university. Such a high ranking is an outstanding achievement for a university in a small country, competing internationally with much larger and better-resourced universities. A university’s reputation is built on the ability and performance of staff and students. The fact that we ranked so high relative to the resources available is a reflection of the very high calibre of students seeking entry to Trinity and the calibre and dedication of our academic, administrative and support staff.
We aim to build on our reputation as Ireland’s number one university and our ambition, as articulated in the Strategic Plan 2003-08, is to be among the top 50 universities in the world. These results indicate that we are making real progress in that direction. We have already accomplished many of the actions set out in the current plan and in the update review that we are publishing next Monday, we are further refining our strategies for research, graduate education, undergraduate education and contribution to society. Our strategic priorities are aligned to the highest academic values as well as to the national goals of social, cultural and economic vibrancy.
There is a healthy international rivalry between universities and competition for both public and philanthropic financial support. We are delighted to be the highest ranked university on the island and our hope and intention is to maintain that position.
However, we see the competition for students and resources as being international, and we believe that collaboration between Irish institutions is the most appropriate response to this competition.
Increased collaboration across the third level sector in Ireland is vital. Collaborations with colleagues in universities on the island and with other public bodies, and with enterprise in and industry continue to thrive. Trinity will continue to develop collaborative programmes that enhance the reputation of both the College and its partner colleges, so that we all can benefit and ultimately create real synergies in the national interest where the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts.”