Brazil heads ranking of Latin American universities
The State University of Campinas (Unicamp) was selected Wednesday (Jul. 18) once again as the best university in Latin America, on a list put together by magazine Times Higher Education. Five other Brazilian institutions figured among the best ten.
The top positions on the list headed by Brazil are shared by Chile, with two universities among the highest ten, in addition to Mexico and Colombia, with one each.
A total of 129 universities in ten Latin American countries were considered, and the first two places were once again given to Unicamp and the University of São Paulo (USP). The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile retained the third position.
The fourth place went to the Federal University of São Paulo, followed by the Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey, Mexico, the University of Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, the University of the Andes, in Colombia, the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, both in Brazil.
Jamaica’s debut
In this new edition, the ranking once again included higher-education institutions in Peru, and for the first time showed a Jamaican university, the University of the West Indies, ranking 37th.
Brazil’s performance this year was remarkable, with 43 universities on the list, followed by Chile (26), Mexico (22), Colombia (19), and Argentina (7), which took the fifth place from the hands of Venezuela, the only country that saw a decline in the number of institutions on the list from the previous year, going from three to two.
In a more in-depth examination, the Times Higher Education highlighted the leading position of Ecuadorian universities in terms of its role on the international stage and the number of scientific articles, followed closely by Chile. According to the study, the Argentine universities boast the best educational environment.
“Resilience and ambition”
Phil Baty, Editorial Director of Global Rankings for the magazine, pointed out that “deep economic and political strains are being felt in countries across Latin America, inevitably damaging the performance and attractiveness of the region’s universities on the global stage—and jeopardising their rich potential.”
“However, also clear is the resilience and ambition of the region’s universities in the face of such challenges – their continued drive to increase quality and serve their nations’ needs.”
