VMU Achieved Impressive Results and Ranked 2nd Nationally in QS World University Rankings

In the latest QS World University Rankings published yesterday, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) has once again achieved significant results, further improving its high global engagement indicators and maintaining solid positions in other categories. In the overall rating, it ranked second among Lithuanian universities based on its total score.

In the overall ranking, which covers all indicators, VMU remained in the same position as last year: 741-750, preserving second place among the country‘s higher education institutions. “We are pleased and proud to see our university‘s successful results and maintained strong positions. Higher education is extremely competitive, and the number of ranked universities is increasing every year. Thus, it‘s truly noteworthy that VMU managed to not just maintain a high ranking but even greatly improved some of its already highly impressive results”, VMU Rector Prof. Juozas Augutis said.

The university performed best in the categories of International Students and their Diversity, where it ranked among the top institutions globally – 270th and 244th respectively – and was the highest-ranked Lithuanian university in both indicators.

VMU made its highest leap in the International Faculty indicator, rising from 520th to 455th globally. As in the previous year, the university led all Lithuanian higher education institutions in this category.

In the International Research Network indicator, VMU improved by nearly 50 positions, now ranking 653rd globally – thus, overall, the university recorded strong upward movement across all internationalisation-related metrics.

“It is both gratifying and natural that we continue to uphold our reputation as the most international university in Lithuania. One of our core values is openness to languages and cultures. We are continuously expanding our extensive network of international partners, fostering exchange opportunities for faculty and students, providing the entire university community with the option to learn foreign languages, and ensuring inclusive environments for international students and staff. We have also taken on a leadership role in strengthening international collaboration between academia and business in Lithuania, by becoming the coordinators of cooperation with the leading Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We see that, as a result of these efforts, VMU is becoming an increasingly attractive member of the international academic community”, noted VMU Vice-Rector for Communication Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vilma Bijeikienė.

The university performed well in other ranking indicators. It ranked 447th globally in Faculty/Student Ratio (2nd in Lithuania), 658th in Employer Reputation, and 701+ in Academic Reputation (3rd in Lithuania in both categories).

This year’s QS World University Rankings evaluated 8,400 institutions across 106 countries. The top five universities globally were: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Imperial College London (UK), Stanford University (USA), University of Oxford (UK), and Harvard University (USA).

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The QS World University Rankings is widely regarded as one of the most authoritative university ranking systems. Unlike some other methodologies, it aims to provide a comprehensive view of each institution – not only assessing research output and academic performance but also considering organisational culture, innovation, openness, accessibility, and student-faculty engagement. A key factor in the rankings is the proportion of international faculty and students, which allows universities to open up to international experts and assessments.

To be included in the QS World University Rankings database, a higher education institution must do more than just submit its data. A university is only ranked if it receives a positive evaluation from a certain percentage of both the global academic and employer communities – surveyed independently by QS.