QS University Rankings: Latin America™ launch event a big success
By Danny Byrne
The first ever ranking of Latin American universities was launched by QS on 4th October with an event at Canning House in London. Attended by an important number of embassies from Latin America in UK, journalists, universities in the UK, and other key stakeholders, the event was sponsored by IELTS and supported by the Foreign Commonwealth Office and the Canning House, and viewed live online by over 2,000 people among universities, students, employers, media and independent organisations from Latin America and other countries in the world.
Ben Sowter – Launch of the QS University Rankings: Latin America from QSIU Latin America on Vimeo.
The event was opened by Professor Maxine Molyneu, Director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas, who welcomed the new ranking as a positive development for universities in the region.
“This exercise draws attention to the significant achievements that Latin America has made in higher education, and serves as a reminder that a good number of universities have attained international standing for the quality of their research and teaching programs,” Molyneu stated. “The information will help to support international exchange and collaboration between scholars and institutions, and that in turn will help to advance knowledge”.
Maxine Molyneux – Launch of the QS University Rankings: Latin America from QSIU Latin America on Vimeo.
Introducing the new exercise, QS Managing Director Nunzio Quacquarelli situated QS University Rankings: Latin America™ within an evolution toward more nuanced and targeted QS research exercises, stretching from the first QS World University Rankings® in 2004 through to the QS Asian University Rankings™, QS World University Rankings® by Subject, QS Stars™, and the now QS University Rankings: Latin America™.
“QS serves the informational need of students and parents first and foremost, and we have set out to innovate in the information we provide since our launch in 1990,” he stated. “These rankings meet a real need for information for a major part of the world’s population”.
QS Head of Research Ben Sowter pointed to increased student mobility as one of the factors driving the need for greater comparative information on the region’s universities, citing as an example the 250% growth in international students in Chile between 2000 and 2008. “There has been a dramatic change in some of the migration patterns and some of the decisions being made by international students in the region,” Sowter stated. “While much of that mobility stems from within Latin America, increasingly European students are beginning to look to the region as a potential destination.”
Sowter outlined the detailed consultation with Latin American institutions that QS undertook while finalizing the methodology for the rankings. A survey of over 110 institutions in the region identified the importance of factors such as the proportion of academics with a PhD, web presence, and research papers per faculty, which were introduced for the first time alongside more staple QS rankings criteria such as academic and employer reputation, student/faculty ratio and research citations.
“University systems in Latin America are now among the fastest changing and fastest growing in the world,” said Sowter. “We have been able to gather an unprecedented level of information to put together a much richer comparative picture of Latin American higher education than has ever been compiled before”.
QS University Rankings: Latin America™ Project Manager Liliana Casallas emphasised the wider importance of the rankings for universities in the region, and outlined the extensive consultation that ensured that data was available from all universities in the region: “This has just been a very valuable exercise for universities in data collection, integration and communication within the different departments”, Casallas stated. “For some it has been easier than for others, but this is one of the indirect benefits of participation in this type of study”.
Casallas also stressed that the rankings will expand and develop as they mature, with universities becoming more familiar with data collection processes and continual work being carried out by QS to develop new assessment criteria. “The next edition of QS will have more challenges, such as developments in the methodology, expanding and improving channels with universities for data collection, strengthening data collection in Central America in particular, increasing our operational capacity, and including new partners and sponsors”.
Stephen Carey (IELTS) – Launch of the QS University Rankings: Latin America from QSIU Latin America on Vimeo.
To follow the video conferences and dowload the presentations please click here
Supplement QS University Rankings: Latin America 2011/2012
Supplement 2011/2012 for the first QS University Rankings: Latin America
- Ben Sowter introduces this year’s research and the results tables.
- Danny Byrne reflects on the results of the rankings and looks at some of the issues surrounding access to higher education for students from low-income backgrounds.
- John O’Leary introduces QS Stars, a new university rating system that has been implemented during 2011.
- Liliana Casallas looks at the status of collaboration agreements between Latin American universities and those elsewhere in the world.
Map of Top Latin American Universities
The following map offers a snapshot of the top 200 institutions included in the 2011 QS University Rankings – Latin America™.
To access the complete version of the map, please, click here. (*)
Created by: Martin Juno.
(*) Please, consider that the map is presented for reference only and may contain errors or omissions of any geographic, location or rank feature.
Six Latin American universities make the grade in new QS World University Rankings: Arts and Humanities
by Liliana Casallas
Six Latin American universities were featured in the QS World University Rankings®: Arts and Humanities released on http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings, revealing strength in Latin America’s universities in Modern Languages, Philosophy, Geography, History, English and Linguistics.
- Brazil, with four universities featured, is best-performing country in the region
- Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) ranks in top 100 in five of the six ranked subjects
- Argentina’s Universidad de Buenos Aires in top 100 for Modern languages and English
Visas, another homework for governments towards international education and Latin America students. Part III.
by Liliana Casallas
Part III. UK System & Fact table
In the UK, the process has also been changing. Students from Latin America are able to apply online for the visa. Students who wish to pursue their studies in the UK can use the Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS), which is an electronic reference number that is given to applicants as proof that they have been offered a place at an UK institute. According to the British High Commissioner, Rob Fenn, it is one of the changes in order to move toward a consolidation of one system, which integrates an online application, appointment, biometrics within the ‘point based system’ in order to support the strategy of a centralized decision-making process for each region.
In the case of Latin America, the visa application process has been centralised in New York, where they receive and review applications.
The official time for responses takes between a minimum of 5 to 120 working days but response time depend on the country. Nevertheless, there are records of 90% applications processed in 3 days for Brazil, 5 days for Colombia, 10 days for Mexico and 30 days for Venezuela.
It is too early to state if a offshore centralized decision-making process is favourable for expediting student visas but new tools such as CAS will help with the delays caused by acceptance letters.
Certainly, some countries have an open policy to attract international students and promote higher education, others, are also interested to keep the best fresh minds as part of a strategy to invest in the country. As seen in table IV, countries such as the US and UK run a policy to allow students to work in a particular sector after studying in the country. Contrary, Spain has a strongly restrictive visa application system and processing for applicants whatever they are a student or not. Additionally, as one can see below, there are no clear standards in terms of requirements, time, policy and approval rates.
| Australia | USA | Spain | UK | |
| Visa process |
A1= 14 days A2 = 21 days A3= 90 days |
Up to 60 days (excluding visa interview, delivery) |
No information |
Up to 120 days
|
| Visa Fee (1) |
$540
|
$200 (Plus booking appointment cost and $131 application process fee) |
$80 |
$295 |
| Part Time Work |
Up to 20 hours per week while your course is in session and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.
|
On-campus employment of 20 hours a week or less. 40 hours for internships upon approval.
|
Allowed but number of hours not defined. |
Up to 20 hours per week while your course is in session and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.
|
| Staying beyond the authorized stay |
No |
F-1 student – An additional 60 days, to prepare for departure from the U.S. or to transfer to another school. Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are entitled to legally work under Optional Practical Training for 29 months |
No |
Students are allowed to apply for Tier 1 visa, which allows students who have successfully obtained a degree or postgraduate certificate/diploma in the UK to remain and work for up to 2 years. |
| Approval rate |
2006-07 (93.89%) -Global- |
Average 69% | Not published |
Not published |
Table.IV. Visa facts per country
Visas, another homework for governments towards international education and Latin America students. Part.II
by Liliana Casallas
Part II. USA and Spain System
In the US actions to create a transparent and efficient process are related to make students a priority so that they may travel in time to begin their course of study, having focused on cutting wait time for interviews. There are also procedures in place to expedite student applicants, even on short notice. From March 2010, the visa programme is moving towards applying through a unique online form (DS-160), replacing three forms previously used. According to an official source, 90% of applications have wait times of less than 30 days for student and business travellers.
There is no current updated information on rejection rates, however, between 2001 and 2005 the rate of visa rejections was 31%. Table III shows the number of student visas issued, which has been growing proportionally since 2006. Brazil, Mexico and Colombia are on the top of the list.
| Country | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Brazil | 5,926 | 7,418 | 10,556 | 9,160 |
| Mexico | 7,885 | 7,778 | 7,538 | 6,281 |
| Colombia | 2,933 | 3,317 | 3,961 | 3,912 |
| Venezuela | 1,928 | 2,244 | 2,363 | 2,543 |
| Argentina | 1,115 | 1,061 | 1,117 | 1,076 |
| Chile | 992 | 1,108 | 1,076 | 1,074 |
| Peru | 1,089 | 1,065 | 1,101 | 1,005 |
| Ecuador | 1,144 | 1,067 | 1,005 | 960 |
| Panama | 613 | 499 | 579 | 547 |
| Cuba | 7 | 18 | 21 | 16 |
Table III. Student Visa (F-1) issued for Latin America
Visas, another homework for governments towards international education and Latin America students. Part I. Australia
by Liliana Casallas
The United States, Cuba, France, Spain and the UK are the main host countries for Latin American students who choose to pursue higher education overseas. Each country has their own policy for student visas. Some of these countries have been working for years to establish a transparent and fair system for international students.
Meanwhile, students take into account eligibility, requirements, timings and the paper work process, additionally to other factors such obtaining a permit to work, visa extensions and the migration programme of the host country.
Australia only hosts 1% of mobile students from Latin America. However, it is worth to review Australia’s immigration policy as it is one of the most recognized immigration systems and is a point of reference for other governments who intend to improve their systems such as the UK.
In 2008-2009, Australia processed 227,924 off-shore applications, 52% of those were online. The process to apply for student visas take up to 90 days depending on the assessment level of the participant’s country of origin, which is a key element of the application process.
Australia recognises the importance of being an attractive country for international students and is working on continuous changes to improve the integrity of the student visa program as well as to help streamline the visa application process.
The US tags its immigration policy as “Secure borders, open doors”, which pursues the dual goals of keeping the US safe and of welcoming qualified students. The US government perceives international educational exchange as a good path to create interpersonal exchanges and cross cultural understanding that helps to create a more stable world.
The governments are looking to strike the right balance between making the visa application process easier to genuine students while setting additional controls to avoid people who may abuse the system.
Australia now seeks to assess students enrolling in more than one course, enabling the government to cancel visas that do not comply with the policy during their stay in the country. The Australian government increased the basic rate of living cost for international student from $12,000 to $18,000 a year, elevating the visa requirement for students to prove they have sufficient funds for living in Australia.
Australia also established five assessment levels in the student visa program, which are related to the immigration risk level. Assessment level 5 is the highest based on the calculated immigration risk posed by students from that country studying in any educational sector (Higher Education and Postgraduate Research). The level of assessment define the time and process of evaluation of the visa application. See table 1, to review process time vs. current performance.
| Offshore | |||
| Students Assessment | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3/4 |
| 75% processing time | 14 days | 21 days | 90 days |
| Actual 75 percentile | 15 days | 21 days | 71 days |
Table 1: Students – performance against service standards
Cuba, a new important player for higher education in Latin America?
by Liliana Casallas
Interestingly, UNESCO reported that in the last ten years, there has been an impressive 96% increase of the number of mobile students from Latin American and the Caribbean countries. As shown in
Table I, in 1999, students from Caribbean countries formed a large proportion (66%) of the student migration from this Region who decided to study in Cuba. 25% were from South America and Mexico for the same year. This dramatically changed.
In 2008, the total number of mobile students in the region studying in Cuba reached 24,928 students. Mexico and South America represented 74% of the students enrolled in Cuba; Caribbean students represented only 10% (although their number tripled since 1999). Is this change in the flow of students a matter of educational quality, cost and/ or a sign of effective government agreements?
| Region | 1999 | 2008 |
| Caribbean Islands | 700 | 2,555 |
| Central America | 92 | 3,995 |
| South America & Mexico | 259 | 18,378 |
| Total mobile students in Cuba | 1,051 | 24,928 |
Table I. Source Unesco . Latin American and Caribbean Students in Cuba
As the graph shows below, since 2004, Spain has been displaced as the top destination for Latin American Students by Cuba which received 14% of the mobile students in the Region compared to only 6% enrolled in 2007. Certainly, it would be interesting to understand the factors that have influenced the fall of Latinamerica students pursuing studies in Spain since then.
A closer outlook at the numbers show that this phenomenon bloomed in 2001 with an increase of 71% of students in Cuba from the previous year. Again, in 2007 the number almost doubled from 12,447 to 22,916 students from Latin American and Caribbean countries. Cuba hosted 26,889 international students in 2007, almost the same proportion as countries like Sweden, Belgium and Netherlands. Continue Reading
Where do Latin American Students choose to study?
by Liliana Casallas
There are various factors that influence a student when choosing their study abroad destination. Students usually take into account country profiles, educational reputation, university accreditations, a university’s international profile, visa requirements, international student support, fees, grants and potential hardships. There are may also be additional incentives relating to a country’s capacity to receive international students: a simplified process for visa approval, and permission to work as a student during enrollment, or even to migrate as a highly qualified skilled worker, are a few examples.
A focus group conducted by JWT Education concluded that the principle motivations for Latin American students to study overseas are childhood dreams of studying abroad, as well as the prospect of improved English and enhanced career opportunities.
Unesco* reported over 2.7 million students enrolled overseas in 2007, an impressive increase of 53% since 1999. The flow of students is mainly from Asia (China, India, Korea, Japan and Malaysia), Europe (Germany, France, Russia) and the United States. Latin America and the Caribbean represented 6% of mobile students worldwide, totalling 168,231.
Taking a look at the Latin American regional figures, there are some interesting findings. 53% of the Latin American students who study overseas are originally from one of five countries: Mexico (15%), Brazil (13%), Colombia (10%), Peru (8%) and Venezuela (7%). See Table I. Among students from these countries, the US is the most popular destination, followed by Spain.
| Country | LA Students | Top 3 destinations |
| Mexico | 24,950 | USA, Spain, UK |
| Brazil | 21,556 | USA, France, Portugal |
| Colombia | 17,531 | USA, France, Spain |
| Peru | 13,130 | USA, Chile, Spain |
| Venezuela | 11,844 | USA, Cuba, Spain |
| Ecuador | 7,098 | USA, Cuba, Chile |
| Table I. Source Unesco, 2007.Proportion of mobile Latin American Students by country of origin. |
On an international level, the US is the most popular host country (21%), followed by the UK (13%), France (9%) and Australia (8%). There are new emerging destinations for students who want to study abroad: China, Republic of Korea and New Zealand. Continue Reading
Latin America, an under explored territory for global education.
by Liliana Casallas
Latin America may not be considered a first choice by international students for academic exchange, and global universities do not seem to consider this part of the world as a priority for the development of exchange partnerships. Why this is the case leads one to ask the following: is there a global understanding of the Latin American educational systems, quality of their programs or administration processes, or is it merely a matter of location? Perhaps, Latin America is seen more as a holiday hotspot rather than a strategic choice to strengthen career prospects.
There are some interesting facts about the region. Public expenditure in education is significant in Cuba and Bolivia where it makes up 9.1% and 6.1% of their national budget respectively. These represent higher proportions than in the USA (5.3%), UK (5.6%), and France (5.7%) in the same year of reference. Furthermore, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil and Paraguay all invest at least 4% in education. Mexico, in particular, has made major and consistent investments in education during recent years; their proportion of GDP in 2005 was 5.5%.
In most cases, universities that profile in the QS World RankingTM Top 400 are based in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. For example, UNAM, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Universidad Austral, Universidad de Sao Paulo, UNICAMP and Universidad de Chile.
As indicated by the Chilean journal America Economia in their annual ranking for business schools in the region, there are highly qualified and recognised business schools for almost every country of the region among others, (see table below), that foster exchange programs with well known universities particularly in Europe and USA, such as ESADE in Spain, HEC in France, HHL in Germany and any others in the USA as Arizona State University, Tulane University, University of Texas at Austin among others.
| Country | University |
| Colombia | Universidad de los Andes |
| Costa Rica | INCAE |
| Chile | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) |
| Brazil | Fundação Getulio Vargas |
| México | Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) |
| Venezuela | Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion |
| Argentina | IAE |
Latin-America’s largest populations are mainly concentrated in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, representing 70% of the region, with 396.5 million inhabitants. Despite the world economic crisis over the last year, the region has experienced an important growth of 4% GDP on average, with Peru, Panama and Argentina growing at 9.9%, 9.2% and 6.8% respectively.
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world as mother tongue, after Chinese, by 329 million people in 44 countries and these figures will likely increase as there are already around 14 million students around the world learning Spanish as a second language by 2008**. This number will also rapidly increase since, in 2010, Brazil – one of the most populated and market oriented countries in the region – made Spanish a compulsory language to learn in classrooms from the age of 7. It is expected that in just a few short years an additional 41 million Brazilians under 17 will be able to read and speak Spanish. In the United States, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 34 million people aged 5 or older, representing over 12% of the population. In states such as New Mexico, California and Texas more than 30% of the population speaks Spanish***. Continue Reading
