The University of Economics in Bratislava. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Occasionally, Slovak universities appear among the top 1000 in world rankings – but they have never reached the first 500. It is difficult for smaller universities, like the ones in Slovakia, to fulfil the criteria needed to reach the leading spots.
However, the truth is also that some universities of similar size in neighbouring countries manage to place higher than Slovak ones. Out of Slovakia’s universities, Comenius University has tended to achieve the best positions in world rankings.
American and British
There are many university rankings in the world. Among the most renowned, the Education Ministry lists the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU or Shanghai Ranking), the Times Higher Education (Times) World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings and the SCImago Institution Ranking.
First places in these rankings are typically filled by American and British universities, like Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
The Education Policy Institute evaluates an average position for the best Slovak university in the ARWU, OS and Times rankings on a yearly basis. It placed 784th in 2022. In 2015 and 2021 it ranked between the 651st and 835th spots.
“The position in the rankings reflects quality defined by the specific ranking. It is always important to look at the methodology, so we know the given rating measures. For example, QS and Times put an emphasis on the school’s reputation, or how well known it is,” Renata Hall, an expert on university education, told the Sme daily.
