In the world ranking of universities compiled and published on June 10, 2020 by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) was the highest ‘new entry’, ranking 273rd (together with the University of Arizona) out of 1002 selected academic institutions. USI distinguished itself for its marked internationality, both for its students – 8th rank – and for its faculty – 17th rank.  

“This is further proof that USI, by national and international comparison, is absolutely competitive and that it deserves the trust of those who choose to study in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. Finding this level of quality near home is a precious opportunity, especially in light of the last few months of confinement. With all due attention to the variability of these rankings, I believe that this is a result of which every Ticinese can be proud, which is underscored by the fact that, at a national level, USI outperforms other long-standing universities” – remarks the Rector of USI, Boas Erez.

The QS WUR data confirm what was announced in September 2019 by another well-known international academic ranking, the Times Higher Education, which saw USI make its debut in second place for internationality in the world (among the 1397 universities in the ranking).

USI, which is the only Italian-speaking public university in Switzerland, has a student population coming from 96 different countries and an academic body hailing from 66 different countries. In addition to the solidity of the scientific research, attested for example by academic citations, the faculty/student ratio, which at USI is 1 lecturer for every 7 students, is also worthy of mention, thus placing USI  in 110th position in the QS ranking. Overall, the performance of USI in the QS WUR finds itself in the first quartile (23%) globally, and eighth at the Swiss level (there are 12 public universities in Switzerland).

The QS World University Rankings is one of the three most widespread and well-known rankings in the world, together with the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, also known as the ‘Shanghai ranking’) and the aforementioned Times Higher Education. These rankings are compiled based on the analysis of a very large amount of data. From these, indicators are drawn, such as bibliometric data (citations and references in scientific publications), the impact of research carried out by universities, the quality of teaching and the international perspective.

For details on the QS World University Rankings: www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2021 

USI key figures on education: www.usi.ch/en/university/who-we-are/facts-and-figures/education