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Brunel soars to 40th in the UK in global universities league

QS 920

 

Fresh figures from the 2024 QS World University Rankings see Brunel University London rocket a remarkable 69 places to reach its highest score ever in the table.

The 20th QS World University Rankings put Brunel 343rd in the world and 40th in the UK. 

One of three major league tables in the academic calendar, QS rankings compare nearly 1,500 institutions across 104 locations, including 91 in the UK.

The latest leap is part of the University’s sustained rise up the QS rankings in recent years. In the years to 2018, Brunel was outside the top third of universities worldwide, but by the 2024 table it now sits comfortably in the top quarter, ranked more highly than 77% of other institutions.

Among the 91 UK universities, Brunel is in the top 10 when it comes to ‘International Faculty’ – the proportion of teaching and research staff from overseas. It is also 13th for the number of international students compared with those from the UK.

“It’s an important and direct consequence of the focus and effort of many colleagues across Brunel,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Jones. “I want to thank everyone who works here. As we develop our new strategy, I look forward to the university furthering this significant upward trajectory.”

Find a full breakdown here of how Brunel fared in each QS category.

Published by British marketing company Quacquarelli Symonds, QS ranks institutions on research, employment, learning, sustainability and ‘global engagement’, which looks at ratios of international students, staff and collaboration. It is the table potential students, academics and employers overseas look to most.

Because it is the only international ranking that has International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approval, it is viewed as one of the most widely read university league tables.

Earlier this month The Times Higher Education World University Rankings rated Brunel 74th among ‘the world’s most impactful institutions’. This judges universities against the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, called SDGs.