World's Best Universities - Duke #14

[IBleedBlue]

Here is a link to the rankings of top 200 universities in the world released by US News yesterday.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-universities/2009/10/20/worlds-best-universities-top-200.html

And Duke checks in at #14. I feel very proud to be an alum. I am surprised UNC is ranked #78. I never thought UNC deserved to be in top 100 in the world.

Hopefully, this helps Mr.Barnes to see the vast chasm in the academic standards at both the schools.

[Duvall]

I wouldn't get too excited over any ranking by USNews.

Still, hard news for the École Polytechnique.

[west_coast_devil]

I wouldn't get too excited over any ranking by USNews.

Still, hard news for the École Polytechnique.

right.... I cant believe Notre Dame is 199 compared to UNC at 78. That does not make much sense to me??

[InSpades]

I was surprised at UCLA being so high (upper 30s?). Especially compared w/ UC-Berkeley which I thought was generally considered the best of the UC schools.

[Bluedog]

I wouldn't get too excited over any ranking by USNews.

This ranking is NOT by US News. It's by Times Higher Education, a magazine based in London. They released these rankings on October 7th. Some have accused THE of UK bias in their rankings (4 of the top 6 universities in the world are UK schools? I'll give them Oxford and Cambridge, but most would rank Princeton above UCL and Imperial College; although LSE is 67, what?). In any event, Duke was 13th last year in the same ranking (as well as in 2007 and 2006) and was 11th in 2005. In 2004, the first year it came out, Duke was 52nd. These rankings are more based more on research output, so it severely handicaps more liberal arts minded colleges (e.g. Dartmouth, LACs, etc.) Duke scores high in all categories except the International Staff score (International student score also not that high).

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Rankings2009-Top200.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THE%E2%80%93QS_World_University_Rankings

US News just has an agreement with THES-QS to report the scores. They even say so right there clearly: "U.S. News & World Report's World's Best Universities rankings, based on the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, identified these to be world's top universities in 2009." Not sure how it's "based" on the rankings, though. It is those rankings.

[mgtr]

It is interesting that Duke, Cornell, and Stanford -- all pretty fair schools -- are ranked right next to each other, and they all have a common low number -- international faculty. Having been a grad student seemingly forever, and having taught undergrad and grad classes, I am uncertain that a high proportion of international faculty is a good thing, at least in this country.

[Faustus]

Hmmm... only ten German universities in the world's top 200, and none in the top 50? But Dutch and Belgian schools out the wazoo... Sure are a lot of Canadian and Australian colleges in there. And Oxford can't be happy to be looking up at Cambridge (and good thing Duke doesn't have to play either one of them in rowing). But how far the U of Leiden has fallen since the Reformation, down to #60. And I saw neither the Sorbonne nor the U of Padua there at all. Back in the 1500s they were jockeying for first place. Like Fordham in football, I guess, how things have changed in a few generations...

[rsvman]

University of Maryland ahead of University of Virginia? Really? Vanderbilt lower than UMd? Seriously?

[brevity]

I find it hard to complain about a list when no one else has ever bothered to do a better job. (Words to live and post by.)

At least, by some measure, I see how McGill University compares with the rest of North America. I've always wondered.

[DukieBoy]

Heck yes. IU comes in at 193, which is where I'm at now. Gotta love it.

[budwom]

I find it hard to complain about a list when no one else has ever bothered to do a better job. (Words to live and post by.)

At least, by some measure, I see how McGill University compares with the rest of North America. I've always wondered.

McGill is certainly one outstanding university, and it's an absolute bargain for Americans who venture up there. Total tuition and fees (not including room and board) is about $16,000/year. And Montreal is a terrific city.

[cspan37421]

McGill is certainly one outstanding university, and it's an absolute bargain for Americans who venture up there. Total tuition and fees (not including room and board) is about $16,000/year. And Montreal is a terrific city.

$16,000 is tuition only, and only for humanities. Engineering or science is more, commerce, even more. Total with books, room, board - $27,500 to $36,500. Perhaps still a bargain, but not "dirt cheap" as implied.

Source:
http://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/cost/

[budwom]

$16,000 is tuition only, and only for humanities. Engineering or science is more, commerce, even more. Total with books, room, board - $27,500 to $36,500. Perhaps still a bargain, but not "dirt cheap" as implied.

Source:
http://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/cost/

It sure is a bargain compared to similar US universities...and if you happen to a Quebec resident, tuition is less than $4000...