James Cox
University of Limerick has achieved the highest possible standard in the new QS Stars Rating System, the only university in Ireland to achieve this in 2021.
UL joins an exclusive group of universities worldwide to receive the overall five-star status in the ranking, which is considered one of the most influential and credible ratings for universities globally.
The QS Stars Rating System was launched in 2009 to assess higher education institutions more broadly than rankings alone and five stars is the maximum score that can be achieved.
It is compiled by education analysts Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the world’s leading provider of services, analytics, and insight to the global higher education sector.
The five-star rating is valid until March 2024 and follows a rigorous and independent data collection process and analysis of performance metrics by QS.
The evaluation process at UL lasted five months and focused on the collection of dozens of indicators including institutional data and surveys results, employer engagement, focused analysis of research output, teaching and internationalisation.
QS Star ratings are entirely based upon an institution’s performance, rather than how they compare to peer universities.
Employability
In addition to the overall rating, UL also earned the highest five-star rating in several other areas: teaching, employability, esearch, internationalization, facilities, innovation, and inclusiveness.
Professor Nigel Healey, UL’s Interim Provost and Deputy President/Vice President Global and Community Engagement, welcomed the recognition.
“This QS Stars rating places UL globally in the top two per cent of all universities. The advantage of the QS Stars Rating System over a global ranking is that it signals to potential staff and students, as well as to future partners, the areas in which UL excels,” Prof Healey explained.
“We have always been well known for our strengths in internationalisation, innovation, inclusion and employability, as well as the quality of our learning and teaching, and it is reassuring to know that these are externally assessed as world-leading with a five-star rating. But as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2022, these new ratings let the world know that we now also have research and facilities that are world-class,” he added.
