International rankings the positioning of the Italian HEIs

 

The new 2021 edition of “International rankings the positioning of the Italian HEIs” is available for download here.

This second 2021 edition is based upon the results of ARWU 2021, QS 2022, and THE 2022, all released in 2021.

The year 2021 was a landmark for a greater understanding of rankings in Italy. In December 2020 CRUI (the national association of Italian rectors) released seminal research titled “The CRUI Working Group on International Rankings: Activities, Results and Prospects 2017 – 2020”. The research aimed to “increase the number of Italian universities in the international rankings, improve the ranking of national universities, coordinate communication with political bodies national average at the exit of the main global ranking, develop guidelines, and propose, officially and with a single voice, any additions and methodological changes to the ranking managers”.

The Association “Italia Decide” published comprehensive research titled “Italy and its reputation: the university”. The reports “offers an updated critical reading of the evaluations on the Italian university system, which emerge from the main international rankings and suggests policies to enhance our educational offer”. On 19/01/2021, Italia Decide also run a webinar titled “Merits and criticalities of rankings and the importance of the reputation of universities in the globalised world”.

These efforts resulted in several articles and interviews in the Italian press, and finally, the “ranking” issue hit the news properly and positively.

That said, there is still room for a research accounting also for the fluctuations of single HEIs, as well as for a comparison with other higher education systems, research we present today in the hope of adding another piece to an already fruitful discussion.