AMSTERDAM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 21, 2020 / The first of its kind, the ranking rates universities solely based on an honest assessment

of the real-world student experience 

StuDocu, the Ed Tech platform for note sharing in higher education, launched today the StuDocu World University Ranking. Through an extensive survey completed by 100,000 students from over 27 countries, the flagship ranking is a first of its kind which places students’ experiences and evaluation of their universities at the forefront of the rankings metric. 

Each year, a number of organisations publish their annual ranking of world universities based on varying metrics and indices such as employer reputation, research citations per faculty member, research and awards of staff and alumni, and more. Such criteria within these rankings pay minimal - if any - attention to the real-world student experiences and opinions, which are vital indicators of a positive educational experience at universities - opinions ranging from resources and facilities available on campus to the approachability of lecturers, student support services and more. Which is precisely why StuDocu was determined to hear from the students themselves.

“It has always bothered me that university rankings never take into account students' opinions when that's exactly what it's all about. That's why I'm very happy that from now on, we are able to provide a ranking that represents the opinion of the students,” said Marnix Broer, Co-Founder and CEO of StuDocu. “Of course, it is important to assess the quality of a university on the knowledge that a university has and obtains. But facilities such as classrooms, internet, libraries, teaching methods and sports facilities should not be underestimated in its contribution to a good education for the students.”

The StuDocu World University Ranking is based on fifteen different categories that are of direct concern to students, and their experience at their respective universities. Students were asked to rank the universities that they attended on a scale of 1-10 (0 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) on the categories such as academic reputation, studying remotely, quality of courses, sport culture, diversity and inclusivity, and more. The full list of categories and questions can be found HERE.

With 100,000 students surveyed from 1,500 universities across the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Oceania, each university was ranked by 60 current or former students on average. Besides these questions, students rated their likelihood to recommend their school to friends and family, which makes this the first University Ranking ever generating a ‘Net Promoter Score’ given by students, for students. 

StuDocu’s World University Ranking is an evaluation explicitly for the students. Ultimately, higher education is a business and without a proper system of feedback, and one that is comparable across institutions, universities have been left largely unchecked and unaccountable towards their students. Without any third party interests such as advertising, research funding, staff hiring and more, StuDocu’s World University Ranking is objective and speaks directly to the education and experience that students can expect to receive in exchange for their tuition fees. 

-END-

About StuDocu

StuDocu was founded in 2013 by four students to exchange study documents with each other and together strive for better grades. Millions of study documents have been shared by students and are accessible to everyone in the world. Currently, there are more than 15 million students using StuDocu to access high-quality materials every month. Not only to view or download the best study materials but also to practice thousands of subjects at their fingertips. StuDocu’s mission is to empower everyone to excel in their studies by providing the best tools to students who want to study more efficiently.