University of Groningen climbs to position 59 in Shanghai ranking list

The University of Groningen (UG) has moved significantly up the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities (also called the Shanghai Ranking List). The UG is now in 59th place, having climbed 13 places. The only Dutch university ahead of UG is the University of Utrecht at 47. Although President of the Board Sibrand Poppema is not surprised, he is very happy: ‘We had expected this jump after the fantastic Nobel Prize for Chemistry won by Ben Feringa in October last year. The ARWU allocates a lot of weight to Nobel Prizes and scientific publications. ’

2017 is the fifth year in a row that the UG has climbed the ARWU, which is generally considered the most reliable quality measurement of universities worldwide. The ARWU is a list of the global Top 500, published annually in August. Because the list is based on clear methodology and objective data, it is regarded as the most reliable in the academic world.

The UG isn’t the only Dutch university in the top 100 to have moved up the list. In addition to the UG, Utrecht University (from 65 to 47), Erasmus Rotterdam (73) and Leiden University (88) are racing up. Just as in previous years, the list is headed by Harvard University.

Prospective students from abroad use the ranking lists as an important indicator of the quality of a university and thus ensure that their degree certificate is worth the investment they are making. Researchers, government bodies and businesses all consider ranking lists important as they are regarded as a reflection of a university’s quality.

See also the Shanghai Ranking List website.