UP in International Rankings
Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
The ARWU ranking (Academic Ranking of World Universities), or “Shanghai Ranking”, is the oldest international university ranking in the world. It was first published in 2003 by Shanghai University; since 2009 it has been published by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy company. The Academic Ranking of World Universities works with the Web of Science database and focuses primarily on the scientific and research performance of institutions, which are evaluated on the basis of the six indicators listed below.
Criteria | Indicator | Weight |
Quality of Education | Alumni of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals | 10% |
Quality of Faculty | Staff of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals | 20% |
Highly Cited Researchers in 21 research areas selected by Clarivate Analytics (only primary affiliations are considered) | 20% | |
Research Outputs | Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) in the previous year (only publications of “Article” type are considered) | 20% |
Research articles published in Nature and Science in the last five years (only publications of “Article” type are considered) | 20% | |
Per Capita Performance | Per capita academic performance of an institution (weighted scores of the above five indicators divided by the number of academic staff) | 10% |
Detailed ranking methodology is available here.
Palacký University was listed in the Shanghai Ranking for the first time in 2017, when it was ranked 601st–700th. Although UP dropped to the 701st–800th positions in 2021 and 2022, it managed to return to the previous positions (i.e. 601st–700th) in the most recent edition of the 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities. The move up in the rankings is mainly due to the fact that UP has returned to the list of universities that have Highly Cited Researchers (HiCi) among their staff.
Rankings of Czech universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities for the last 5 years:
| 2019 ARWU | 2020 ARWU | 2021 ARWU | 2022 ARWU | 2023 ARWU |
Charles University, Prague | 201st–300th | 201st–300th | 201st–300th | 301st–400th | 301st–400th |
Masaryk University, Brno | 601st–700th | 601st–700th | 601st–700th | 401st–500th | 401st–500th |
Palacký University Olomouc | 501st–600th | 501st–600th | 701st–800th | 701st–800th | 601st–700th |
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | 901st–1000th | 801st–900th | 801st–900th | 801st–900th | 601st–700th |
Brno University of Technology | - | - | 701st–800th | 901st–1000th | 701st–800th |
Czech Technical University in Prague | 701st–800th | 701st–800th | 801st–900th | 801st–900th | 801st–900th |
VSB – Technical University of Ostrava | - | - | 901st–1000th | 901st–1000th | - |
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice | 901st–1000th | 901st–1000th | - | 901st–1000th | - |
University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague | 701st–800th | 901st–1000th | - | - | - |
Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
In addition to the global rankings, university rankings are also published annually in 55 subjects across Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects is based on performance in five indicators: the number of papers published in journals with Q1 Journal Impact Factor, the ratio of citations of papers published to the average citations in the same category according to InCites database, the ratio of publications made in collaboration with an international co-author, the number of papers published in top journals, and the number of staff winning a significant award in their fields while working full-time at an institution. Different weights are allocated to the indicators for different subjects.
In the latest edition of the 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, Palacký University Olomouc made it into the top 500 in five subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Ecology, Material Science & Engineering, Nanoscience & Nanotechnology) and was the only Czech university ranked in Material Science & Engineering that year.
Placings of Palacký University Olomouc in 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects | |
Physics | 401st–500th |
Chemistry | 401st–500th |
Ecology | 201st–300th |
Materials Science & Engineering | 301st–400th |
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | 301st–400th |
QS World University Rankings (QS)
The QS World University Rankings, published by Quacquarelli Symonds, also implemented a methodological enhancement in 2023. The newly introduced metrics are Sustainability, Employment Outcomes, and International Research Network. The QS World University Rankings works with Elsevier’s Scopus database and ranks universities in the nine indicators below.
Indicator | Weight |
Academic Reputation | 30% |
Citations per Faculty | 20% |
Employer Reputation | 15% |
Employment Outcomes | 5% |
Faculty/Student Ratio | 10% |
International Faculty Ratio | 5% |
International Research Network (IRN Index) | 5% |
International Students Ratio | 5% |
Sustainability (based on QS Sustainability Rankings) | 5% |
Detailed ranking methodology is available here.
Palacký University Olomouc was listed in the ranking for the first time in 2016. In the most recent QS World University Rankings 2024, UP has been ranked 631st to 640th, which is an improvement compared to the previous year (651st–700th). Palacký University performs best in one of the new indicators (International Research Network), where it is ranked 292nd. UP is also among the top 500 in Faculty/Student Ratio and in Employer Reputation.
Rankings of Czech universities in the QS World University Rankings for the last 5 years:
| QS WUR 2020 | QS WUR 2021 | QS WUR 2022 | QS WUR 2023 | new methodology |
Charles University, Prague | 291st | 260th | 266th | 288th | 248th |
Masaryk University, Brno | 551st–600th | 531st–540th | 551st–560th | 551st–560th | 400th |
Czech Technical University in Prague | 498th | 432nd | 403rd | 378th | 454th |
University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague | 355th | 342nd | 373rd | 358th | 556th |
Brno University of Technology | 651st–700th | 701st–750th | 701st–750th | 701st–750th | 611th–620th |
Palacký University Olomouc | 601st–650th | 591st–600th | 601st–650th | 651st–700th | 631st–640th |
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | 801st–1000th | 801st–1000th | 801st–1000th | 801st–1000th | 701st–710th |
Mendel University in Brno | - | 701st–750th | 801st–1000th | 801st–1000th | 901st–950th |
University of Pardubice | - | 801st–1000th | 1001st–1200th | 1001st–1200th | 1001st–1200th |
University of Hradec Králové | - | - | 801st–1000th | 801st–1000th | 1001st–1200th |
Tomas Bata University in Zlín | - | - | 1001st–1200th | 1001st–1200th | 1001st–1200th |
VSB – Technical University of Ostrava | - | - | 1001st–1200th | 1201st–1400th | 1001st–1200th |
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice | - | - | - | 701st–750th | 1001st–1200th |
Technical University of Liberec | 751st–800th | 751st–800th | 801st–1000th | 801st–1000th | 1001st–1200th |
University of West Bohemia, Plzeň | - | - | 1001st–1200th | 1201st–1400th | 1201st–1400th |
University of Ostrava | 801st–1000th | - | 1001st–1200th | 1001st–1200th | 1201st–1400th |
QS World University Rankings: Europe
The QS World University Rankings: Europe was published for the first time in 2023, superseding the QS Emerging Europe & Central Asia (EECA) University Rankings. European universities from 42 countries which are members of the Council of Europe are compared in the rankings on 12 indicators below, focusing on research quality, graduate employability, study and teaching conditions, global engagement, and sustainability.
Indicator | Weight |
Academic Reputation | 30% |
Citations per Paper | 10% |
Papers per Faculty | 5% |
Employer Reputation | 15% |
Employment Outcomes | 5% |
Faculty/Student Ratio | 10% |
International Research Network (IRN Index) | 5% |
International Faculty Ratio | 5% |
International Student Diversity (nationalities) | 5% |
Inbound Exchange Student Ratio | 2.5% |
Outbound Exchange Student Ratio | 2.5% |
Sustainability Score (based on QS Sustainability Rankings) | 5% |
Detailed ranking methodology is available here.
Palacký University was ranked 219th out of 688 evaluated universities in the first edition of the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024 published in autumn 2023. In the context of Eastern Europe, UP was ranked 9th.
Rankings of Czech universities in the QS World University Rankings: Europe:
| QS Europe 2024 |
| |
Charles University, Prague | 86th | ||
Masaryk University, Brno | 161st | ||
Czech Technical University in Prague | 182nd | ||
Brno University of Technology | 216th | ||
Palacký University Olomouc | 219th | ||
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | 249th | ||
University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague | 293rd | ||
Mendel University in Brno | 336th | ||
VSB – Technical University of Ostrava | 385th | ||
University of Hradec Králové | 398th | ||
Tomas Bata University in Zlín | 424th | ||
University of Ostrava | 451st | ||
Technical University of Liberec | 459th | ||
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice | 459th | ||
University of Pardubice | 464th |
QS World University Rankings by Subject
In addition to the global rankings, university rankings are also published annually in 55 subjects divided into 5 areas: Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based on 5 indicators: results of international reputation surveys among academics, a similar survey among employers, publication citations, the H-index and the IRN (International Research Network) Index. Each discipline differs in the weighting of each indicator to take into account the specificities of each discipline.
A more detailed description of the methodology for each discipline is available here.
In the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, Palacký University was ranked in 4 disciplines, with three of them in the Top 500. Olomouc University performs best in Forestry and Agriculture, where it is ranked 251st-300th. Compared to the previous year, it dropped out of the ranking in Physics and Astronomy.
Placings of Palacký University Olomouc in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 | |
Agriculture & Forestry | 251st–300th |
Biological Sciences | 401st–450th |
Medicine | 501st–550th |
Chemistry | 401st–450th |
CWTS Leiden Ranking
The Leiden Ranking, produced by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University in the Netherlands, is specific in that it does not present the results of universities as a combination of all indicators, but rather enables the performance of universities to be explored from a diversity of perspectives, with the possibility of adjusting more detailed parameters. Thus, there are several resulting rankings available. The Leiden Ranking uses the Web of Science database and assesses 4 main indicators, which are scientific impact, international collaboration, open access, and gender diversity, both for the university as a whole and in 5 disciplines (Biomedical & Health Sciences, Life & Earth Sciences, Mathematics & Computer Science, Physical Sciences & Engineering, Social Sciences & Humanities).
Detailed ranking methodology is available here.
Sustainability rankings
As the issues of sustainability, social responsibility, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become more prominent in university strategies and plans in recent years, the rankings have also begun to look at how universities rank in these areas. Palacký University Olomouc is currently involved in three of them (Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, UI GreenMetric World University Rankings).