THE Latin America Rankings: Brazil continues to dominate, but who is close behind?

Times Higher Education (THE) have just revealed this year’s Latin America University Rankings, and though Brazil continues to dominate, higher education excellence across the region is not as clear cut as it seems.

You may be unsurprised to know that Brazil maintained its status, claiming six of the revered Top 10 spaces and a third of all positions.

The country has seen 43 institutions gain a place in this year’s prestigious list, up a whopping 32 on numbers from last year.

Brazil has also maintained the coveted top two spots, with its State University of Campinas (Unicamp) ranked number one for the second consecutive year, while the University of São Paulo  – also retaining its position in a solid second place – tops the table for research.

THE‘s 2018 rankings have been enhanced and expanded, spanning a total of 10 nations across Latin America and the Caribbean. This number is up eight on last year, seeing Peru jump back into the league as Jamaica hops in for its inaugural performance.

 Source: Times Higher Education. For THE‘s full results and analysis, please click here.

For 2018, 129 institutions were included in the rankings, up from 82 last year. Forty-nine first-time entrants have elevated competition, further cementing South America’s growth as a desirable study destination.

Chile remains the second-most represented nation with 26 institutions making the cut, up from last year’s 18. Mexico comes third with 22 universities, up from a previous 13.

In other news comes Peru’s major comeback; formerly represented in 2016 with one lone institution – the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PCUP) – this year’s list has seen three Peruvian universities gain entrance to the list, topped by PCUP at number 18.

Colombia is the fourth-most represented with 19 institutions coming through, up from just 11 in 2017. Argentina speeds ahead of Venezuela into fifth position with seven universities making the league table, up from the five representatives featured last year.

¡Ahora están disponibles los “2018 Latin America University Rankings”! https://t.co/Kv9RvrVILQ THElatamrank #THELatAm #THEUnirankings pic.twitter.com/S6f5jDJYlX

— TimesHigherEducation (@timeshighered) 18 July 2018

Ecuador has five institutions in the rankings, up from last year’s two. But both its previously-ranked universities – University of San Francisco, Quito and Escuela Politécnica Nacional – have declined, falling to 71-80 and 91-100, respectively.

Venezuela is the only country with fewer representatives than last year, with two universities ranked – down from three.

Jamaica has landed for the very first time, with the University of the West Indies breaking into the Top 40 at number 37, also ranking fourth in the table for international outlook.

Costa Rica has one representative institution, as it did last year.

The full Top 50 is as follows:

 Source: Times Higher Education. For THE‘s full results and analysis, please click here.

But while Brazil asserts its dominance, THE‘s most comprehensive analysis yet – looking at countries’ performance as a whole, based on their median pillar scores – reveals a far more nuanced picture of academic excellence across the region.

The analysis unveils Ecuador as the top-performing Latin American country in terms of research influence (citations) and global  outlook – closely followed by Chile.

But Argentina comes top for teaching environment, followed by Brazil, while Chile and Ecuador fare comparatively poorly.

Brazil is top for research environment, with Argentina close behind.

Seguimos en el lanzamiento del ranking universitario del Times Higher Education en la @UDD_cl donde Phil Baty, Director editorial del @timeshighered explica el mecanismo de medición de las universidades. #THELatamRank pic.twitter.com/Ur5ANu3Pmh

— Guido Larson (@guidolarson) 18 July 2018

Phil Baty, Editorial Director of Global Rankings for THE, said:  “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.”

He added: “We need to see more Latin American universities embracing global data comparisons to help them develop, improve and compete regionally, and worldwide…”

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