QS Stars Rating System
Recognizing excellence in higher education.
QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) is an international higher education organization founded in the United Kingdom in the 1990s[cite: 3]. It is one of the world’s leading authorities in evaluating, ranking, and comparing universities globally[cite: 3]. QS aims to assess universities’ academic performance, research activity, employability outcomes, and international reputation, while also providing guidance and information platforms for students and institutions worldwide[cite: 3].
One of QS’s most recognized products is the QS World University Rankings, which evaluate universities based on six core indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio[cite: 3]. Among these indicators, academic reputation and research-related metrics carry the highest weight, making QS rankings a key reference for measuring academic quality and global recognition[cite: 3].
In addition to global rankings, QS offers a range of specialized evaluation frameworks, including QS Asia University Rankings, QS Graduate Employability Rankings, QS Top 50 Under 50, and QS Subject Rankings, which assess universities by region, discipline, institutional age, and employability performance[cite: 3]. These rankings help institutions better understand their academic strengths, labor market relevance, and international engagement[cite: 3].
The QS Stars Rating System is a comprehensive evaluation framework that differs from traditional league tables by assessing universities across multiple performance dimensions rather than assigning a single rank[cite: 3]. Within the QS Stars system, Nakhchivan State University is evaluated in key areas such as[cite: 3]:
- Teaching and learning environment[cite: 3]
- Research and scholarly output[cite: 3]
- Internationalization[cite: 3]
- Employability[cite: 3]
- Governance and institutional development[cite: 3]
- Social responsibility and inclusiveness[cite: 3]
The QS Stars methodology is based on institutional data submissions, external data sources, and standardized assessment criteria, providing a detailed and balanced profile of a university’s strengths and areas for development[cite: 3].
