Nine of the top 10 ranked Canadian universities fell in this year’s QS World University Rankings, including Queen’s. The overall decline comes at the same time as a change in the ranking’s methodology, affecting how it scores faculty research citations, particularly in the areas of life sciences and medicine.

Queen’s placed 206th globally in the 2015 QS rankings, down from 187th in 2014. Queen’s had moved up slightly in the QS rankings last year, along with most of the other top 10 Canadian universities.

“There is always volatility in international rankings and this volatility can be heightened when there are changes in methodology,” says Alan Harrison, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). “No international ranking captures all of Queen’s strengths, particularly the high quality of its student learning experience.”

Every international ranking uses a different methodology, with some relying heavily on measures of research output and some, including the QS rankings, also using reputational survey data.

“Queen’s is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities and its medium size and vision as a balanced academy are great strengths for the university, but this does not necessarily help us in international rankings.  Some rankings include measures that do not adjust for size, for example overall research output, which will favour larger institutions,” says Harrison. “Ultimately, the university’s success internationally will be built upon what drives its success within Canada – a transformative student learning experience enriched by the excellence of its research-intensive environment.”

Another international ranking, the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), was released in August and saw Queen’s maintain its standing within the 201-300 range of the world’s top universities. The Times Higher Education World University Ranking is expected to be released in early October.

Queen’s continues to attract top students from around the world as it works toward a goal of having international students comprise 10 per cent of the incoming undergraduate class. Of the roughly 4600 students in this year’s first-year class, 318 are international students, an increase of 29.8 per cent over the same time last year.