How does the Recognition & Rewards programme view the use of university rankings?

University rankings come in different shapes and sizes. League tables are rankings that try to capture a university’s performance in research, teaching and impact in one number. League tables claim this number reflects the overall performance of a university. Many universities still believe it is important to perform well in international rankings, as many students, academics, businesses and governments consult them.

However, the methods by which these league tables are drawn up and the value assigned to them is at odds with the principles of the Recognition & Rewards programme. Firstly, combining research, teaching and impact achievements into a single one-dimensional overall score is not possible in a meaningful way. Moreover, league tables place special emphasis on research achievements, which are largely determined by numbers of publications and citations. This is also at odds with the Recognition & Rewards programme, which seeks to emphasise different kinds of quality rather than quantity.

And also, such a one-dimensional overall score primarily based on research output has nothing to do with why students, governments or businesses might want to consult them: societal impact, a good and socially safe working environment or quality of education cannot be derived from that score.