RSU Recognised as Best University in Latvia by Prestigious Times Higher Education Ranking
Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) ranks 501-600 among the best universities in the world in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) ranking.
RSU was included in THE World University Rankings for the first time and was immediately assessed as the best university in Latvia. No other Latvian higher education institution has managed to rank so high. RSU’s result is the second best in the Baltic States.
‘RSU is purposefully proving that it is a high-quality university for science not only in Latvia, but also in the world. The high assessment confirms that RSU students are receiving an internationally recognised and valued education. The university’s result was achieved by implementing a long-term development strategy, which ensures the university’s continuous growth towards excellence,’ emphasises RSU Rector, Professor Aigars Pētersons.
RSU achieved the highest result in the category related to citation of scientific publications, obtaining 82.1 points and ranking 252nd in this specific category. The analysis of scientific publications is based on data from the Elsevier bibliographic and citation information database Scopus.
The university’s second-best result was in the internationality indicator, which assesses an institution of higher education’s ability to attract international students and lecturers. This indicator also calculates the proportion of scientific publications that have at least one international co-author. RSU received 73.9 points and ranked 267th in the world in this category.
Compiling the ranking, universities are evaluated according to 13 criteria in five main areas:
teaching (the learning environment and reputation);
research (volume, income and reputation);
citation (research influence);
international outlook (international staff-to-student ratio, as well as international cooperation);
industry income (knowledge transfer).
Along with RSU, three other Latvian universities were included in the ranking: the University of Latvia ranks 601–800, Riga Technical University ranks 1001–1200, and Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies ranking position is 1201+. RSU’s result is the second best among all Baltic universities. The University of Tartu ranks the highest, placing 251-300.
This year, THE World University Ranking 2022 includes more than 1,600 higher education institutions from around the world. Until now, only three Latvian universities have been included in the ranking – the University of Latvia, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and Riga Technical University.
THE World University Rankings are compiled every year and includes mainly research-oriented universities. Only a small number of the world's best higher education institutions enter the ranking.
THE is considered one of the most influential university rankings in the world and has been compiling rankings since 2004. Since then, THE has become one of the most reliable sources of providing data for students, academicians, university leaders, as well as government and industry representatives to help assess the performance of universities on a global scale.
