Flemish universities are still too often assessed based on their positions in rankings. A new study from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) shows that these comparisons are inaccurate, as they do not take into account the size of universities. The study demonstrates that, regardless of their differing positions in these rankings, KU Leuven, UGent, UAntwerpen, and VUB belong to the absolute top in their class, both in terms of publications and success in European grants.
This week marks the appearance of the new Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking. Such rankings are contested for a variety of reasons, like a questionable and unclear methodology, and an emphasis on reputation rather than on objective criteria.
Still, in Flanders, the rankings of the different universities are usually reported side by side. In this way, KU Leuven or UGent come out on top, with UAntwerp and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) as followers. A new study by the VUB linked to the new rankings proves that this is an incorrect picture of the actual differences between universities, because it does not take into account the most important factor, size.
In the short study, produced by the VUB Data Office, the ranking and success of Flemish Universities were compared to all European universities of similar size (i.e. up to 25% larger). Size refers to both students and researchers. The results are remarkable, and they indicate that it is inaccurate to speak of quality differences between Flemish universities, based on rankings.
Vicerector for Research Pieter Ballon (VUB): “This comparison shows that famous rankings such as THE are not so much reporting on quality, but mainly on size. It shows that the 4 main Flemish universities (UHasselt is left out because there are few comparable universities with complete data for the study) are all absolutely top in their class. Both in terms of publications and in terms of success in European grants. It is striking to see that VUB, despite a lower place in the THE ranking, regularly outperforms larger universities in Flanders if you adjust for size. VUB has a similar top position vis-à-vis comparable universities as KU Leuven has among comparable universities in terms of recognition by European reviewers. VUB is the 2nd best of all European universities of similar size in EU grants. But also in terms of publications, VUB is in the top-15 of all European universities of comparable size.”
VUB has currently 21.200 students and 3.274 researchers. The largest university in Flanders, KU Leuven, has 65.526 students and 10.432 researchers. Flemish universities were compared to all European of max 25% larger size. The number of universities in each comparison varies between 141 and 380.
Position of Flemish universities compared to universities that are at most 25% larger in size
| Universiteit | Publications (CWTS Leiden ranking) | Current European grants (Horizon Europe) | Previous European grants (Horizon 2020) | THE ranking (incl. reputation) |
| KU Leuven | 5th position | 1st positon | 3rd position | 9th position |
| UGent | 4th position | 4th position | 7th position | 19th position |
| UAntwerpen | 10th position | 10th position | 9th position | 9th position |
| VUB | 14th position | 2nd position | 6th position | 32th positon |
Additional information:
- Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
The THE World University Rankings assess universities across five key areas: teaching (the learning environment), research (volume, income, and reputation), citations (research influence), international outlook (staff, students, and research), and industry income (knowledge transfer). This ranking is widely used but has been criticized for favoring institutions with large research budgets and for making global comparisons that may overlook contextual differences between universities - CWTS Leiden Ranking
The CWTS Leiden Ranking is compiled by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University. It focuses purely on scientific impact and collaboration, using bibliometric indicators, such as number of publications and number of citations. Unlike other rankings, CWTS does not rely on reputation surveys or subjective assessments, making it a more data-driven approach. The ranking is recognized for offering more nuanced views of scientific performance by including field-normalized indicators. - Horizon Europe is the European Union’s funding programme for research and innovation, with a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021-2027. It supports the development of scientific research, technological innovation, and projects aimed at solving global challenges like climate change and healthcare. Universities participating in Horizon Europe often collaborate in international research consortia, which is an important factor in their research output and impact.
- Horizon 2020 was the European Union's research and innovation funding program that ran from 2014 to 2020, with a budget of nearly €80 billion. Its main objective was to drive economic growth and create jobs by investing in groundbreaking research and innovative projects addressing societal challenges such as climate change, energy efficiency, health, and digital technologies.