The University of Tartu, Estonia’s oldest and largest university, is ranked the 301-350th position in this year’s Times Higher Education World University Rankings; last year, the university achieved its all-time high of 201–250th position.
The ranking, compiled by the British journal, Times Higher Education, since 2004, considers 13 performance indicators that are grouped into five areas: the learning environment, research, research influence, industry income and international outlook.
The University of Tartu, founded by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632, said in 2020 that its strategic plan is to move closer to the world’s 100 best universities, while its position in the international rankings was improving by 20 places on average yearly. Last year, Times Higher Education ranking placed the university among the 250 best universities, while this year, it has slipped back among the next hundred.
The university has yet to comment on a possible reason, while all Estonian public universities have recently complained about the lack of funding.
“The University of Tartu plays a significant role in driving inclusive and sustainable growth and innovation at local, European, and global levels. It ranks in the top 1% of highly cited universities in various research fields. The university actively participates in European science policy formulation through memberships in prestigious research university networks and EU research and innovation partnerships,” Times Higher Education said.
Three Estonian universities ranked
Tallinn University of Technology – known as TalTech – ranked at 601-800 and Tallinn University at 1,001-1,200; both universities have kept the same position as last year.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 include 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.
The best universities in the world, according to the ranking, are the University of Oxford (UK), Stanford University (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Harvard University (US) and the University of Cambridge (UK).
