Emerging Economies University Rankings 2022: results announced

Browse the THE Emerging Economies University Rankings 2022 results

Several Russian universities have improved in the latest Times Higher Education ranking for emerging economies, with the country now home to the joint second highest number of institutions in the top 200.

Two more Russian universities now rank in the top 200 of the Emerging Economies University Rankings 2022, bringing the total to 17. The country was previously the fourth most-represented nation in the top 200, but it is now on a par with India and behind only China on this measure. Taiwan was ahead of Russia last year but its number of representatives has dropped from 16 to 12.

The average overall score for universities in Russia that have been ranked in each year since 2018 is now 33, up from 28. Scores have risen across every metric, but especially in international outlook, working with industry, and research.

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) rises one place to join the top 10 of the 2022 ranking, while National Research Nuclear University MEPhI climbs two places to 26th and the National University of Science and Technology (MISiS) jumps six places to 88th.

Further down, Siberian Federal University joins the 201-250 band, up from 251-300 last year, while Sechenov University leaps from 351-400 to 251-300.

Russia is now the third most represented nation overall in the ranking, with 60 institutions, up from 48 last year, overtaking Brazil, which has 59.

In 2012, Russia launched its Project 5-100 excellence programme, which selected 21 universities to receive up to 1 billion roubles (£10.2 million) a year in an attempt to propel five of them into the top 100 of global rankings by 2020. There have been no Russian universities in the top 100 of the THE World University Rankings to date; Lomonosov Moscow State University is the highest ranked in the 2022 tables at joint 158th in the world and sixth in emerging economies (the best-performing institution outside China), although it was not part of the 5-100 project.

The government is now focused on a new programme called Priority 2030, which is focused on excellence in research and regional development, rather than improving rankings performance specifically.

Universities in Egypt have also improved in the Emerging Economies ranking – they had the biggest rise in average score since 2018, up nine points to 29 in the latest rankings, based on the universities ranked in each year. The rise is mainly driven by improved scores for citations: in 2018 the average score for citation impact for Egyptian universities was 27; in 2022 it is 56.

Five Egyptian institutions are ranked in the top 200, on a par with Greece and the United Arab Emirates and just one fewer than Brazil. However, there are now no Egyptian universities in the top 100, as Mansoura University drops from joint 94th to 118th this year. The top-ranked Egyptian institution is now Aswan University, which is joint 115th, down from joint 109th.

China still dominates the Emerging Economies table, with 51 institutions in the top 200, including all of the top five universities.

rosa.ellis@timeshighereducation.com