University of Exeter rises in influential global rankings

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2015, published today (Sunday), has seen the University leap into the top 200 ranked global institutions.

The rankings, first published in 2003, are based on six predominantly research-based measures, including the number of articles published in leading journals Nature and Science, and the number of highly cited researchers.

Professor Sir Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, said: “These international rankings offer an excellent illustration of the valuable contribution our world-leading academics are making to vital new research.

“This new positioning is based on a range of important factors, such as the number of citations and published research, which illustrate clearly that the University’s wide array of innovative, pioneering research is highly respected, and is making a real impact across the world.”

Earlier in 2015, the University was sixth in the UK, eighth in Europe and top 40 in the world in the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2015, which offers key insights into the scientific performance of 750 major universities worldwide.

In the most recent Research Excellent Framework (REF2014), Exeter was ranked 16th nationally, with 82 per cent of research rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.