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Again at the Top – The University of Potsdam is among the 300 Best Universities Worldwide in the THE Ranking

For the third year in a row, the University of Potsdam occupies a solid place in the “Times Higher Education” (THE) Rankings.  In the current edition of the renowned ranking, Brandenburg's largest university is positioned within the 251-300th places and is once again among the top 1,396 ranked universities worldwide. There are eight German universities in the Top 100, led by the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (32), the Technical University of Munich (43) and the University of Heidelberg (44). Among the 48 German universities ranked, the University of Potsdam improved by two positions to 26th place, making Germany the third strongest nation among the top 200. The THE Ranking are considered, alongside the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the QS World University Ranking, to be among the world’s most important university rankings.  

The THE Rankings focus on five criteria: teaching, research, citations, knowledge transfer and international reputation. At 251-300, the University of Potsdam is roughly on a par with the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of La Sapienza in Rome, and the partner universities Higher School of Education (HSE) Moscow, Stellenbosch (South Africa) and the University of São Paulo. The number of universities ranked has risen continuously in recent years, by 138 in the current ranking compared with the previous year.

"The fact that we have achieved such a good ranking for the third year in a row shows that, despite structural growth processes, we are competitive worldwide and have a high consistency of quality in teaching and research,” says University President Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D. The Vice President for International Affairs, Alumni and Fundraising at the University of Potsdam, Prof. Dr. Florian J. Schweigert, emphasizes the importance of the THE Rankings in global competition: “Rankings offer important points of orientation for foreign students, scientists and cooperation partners. A consistently good position in the THE Rankings underlines our research strength and the high quality of teaching at the University of Potsdam, which makes us attractive beyond Germany.”

In June 2019, the University of Potsdam took one of the top spots in the THE’s U 50 ranking for universities under 50 years of age. With a total of 350 ranked universities from 60 countries, the University of Potsdam was among the top 25 and ranked 4th within Germany. In a worldwide comparison, the University of Potsdam’s position at 24th place is roughly on a par with renowned universities such as the University of Antwerp and the University of South Australia.

In addition, the University of Potsdam is among the top 500 in the Shanghai Ranking 2019, as ARWU is also called, and was thus able to repeat its good ranking from the previous year. The renowned ranking, which is compiled by the Jiao Tong University of Shanghai, annually compares the research strength of more than 1,800 universities in 54 subjects and publishes the 1,000 best.

Contact: Dr. Silke Brodersen, International Office
Telephone: +49 331 977-124436
Email: silke.brodersenuni-potsdamde
Internet: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/world-ranking

Press Release 12-09-2019 / Nr. 116
Dr. Silke Brodersen

University of Potsdam
Department for Press and Public Relations 
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam
Tel.: +49 331 977-1474
Fax: +49 331 977-1130
Email: presseuni-potsdamde 
Internet: www.uni-potsdam.de/presse

Published online by: Agnes Bressa
Translation: Dr. Lee Holt
Contact to the online editorial office: onlineredaktionuni-potsdamde

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