The rankings placed UCT at 113, from 103 in 2011 and 107 in 2010. While any drop is a disappointment, it is a small shift, and the ranking remains a measure of consistently high international standing and reputation.
"This kind of fluctuation does not worry us," said Professor Danie Visser, acting vice chancellor. "There are thousands of universities in the world, and because the rankings are a relative positioning, it is possible for a university to score better on all the criteria, but still end up lower on the rank scale, just because some other institutions tried even harder."
Results from the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for 2012/13, place UCT at 154, from 156 in 2011 and 161 in 2010. The QS system ranks UCT as the only university in Africa in the top 200. "It is gratifying to be so well regarded by our peers, but we remain conscious that different institutions have their own strengths and bring their own particular value to their students. As a research-led university, UCT does well in global rankings because they all place a particular emphasis on research," said Professor Visser.
The Times Higher Education system uses 13 individual performance indicators, which are intended to cover all three core missions of a university in its methodology: research, teaching and knowledge transfer. The highest weighted category remains "research influence", measured by the number of times a university's published work is cited in the papers of other academics. Knowledge transfer activities are also included in an "industry income - innovation" category (worth 2.5% of the total ranking score) based on research income from industry.
The high international rankings held by UCT and other South African universities help to send out the message that students can receive a world-class education in South Africa. However, the rankings do not measure many crucial aspects of a particular university's mission, especially in the developing world.
