Tallinn University in World University Rankings

Both THE World University Rankings (THE WUR) 2021 and QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) 2021 place TLU at 801-1000 in their rankings, thus showing the high level of research and education at our university. According to various ratings, there are 26,000-30,000 universities in the world, which puts us not only in the top 5%, but even higher. Among Estonian universities, the University of Tartu and Tallinn University of Technology are also in the rankings – we share the same place with the latter.

With knowledge comes certainty

Striving for world rankings is not a goal in itself. Research and education should not aim for a position in rankings, but should be guided by set goals, follow good academic practice and quality requirements, contribute to the society, etc. However, being one of the best changes the understanding of the need for rankings. It is a great recognition for employees to see that their work is world-class and comparable to that of top performers. Students receive confirmation that they are offered an education of a higher level. Taking into consideration international cooperation and research, it is also very important to be in the world university rankings. Being visible brings more talented people from all over the world and increases chances of cooperating with strong partners as well as providing better opportunities to attract investment from the private sector.

How to become even better

The university's ability to improve its ranking is unfortunately limited or requires long-term planning. Rankings are compiled based on special methodologies developed for this purpose. Rankings are created on the basis of various performance indicators: reputation of research and education, reputation of the university among employers, number of references, student-to-staff ratio, proportion of foreign students and foreign staff, income, knowledge transfer, etc. The references of the last five years that reflect the quality and impact of research are of high importance.
The university itself provides indicators on employees, students, income, etc. Reputation indicators can also be influenced individually by providing the contact details of reliable partners in surveys.
One of the strengths of Tallinn University has been internationalisation, where the important indicators are the proportion of foreign students and foreign employees and cooperation with international partners.

The journey began in 2017

The journey in the university rankings began in 2017 when Tallinn University placed in the top 201-250 in sociology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.
In the same year, Tallinn University placed in the top 87 in the region according to QS University Rankings Emerging Europe and Central Asia (EECA).
In 2019, for the first time, Tallinn University placed 801-1000 in world university ranking QS WUR, maintaining this position to this day. As of 2020, Tallinn University has started submitting its own data to the rankings. 
International university rankings have been compiled since 2003.