Pursuing world-class university status reflects the increasingly global landscape
in which higher education institutions (HEIs) operate. To be considered “world-class”
implies being the best among the best worldwide and one way through which this status
is currently accorded or determined is through the global university ranking (GUR),
of which there are different models. Emerging in the early 2000s, various GURs have
gained significant influence not only on HEI administrators, students, leaders, and
faculty but also on governments and policymakers. As the GURs evolved, they have become
associated with the increasing internationalization and marketization of higher education
and a growing global market for HEIs. References to GURs have also become strongly
present in university strategic plans, marketing materials, and national policy reforms.
Volumes of studies have been conducted on the merits, strengths and weaknesses, as
well as the impacts of GURs worldwide. This subject matter is comprehensively explored
in this chapter.
