Samara University Strengthened Its Position in the International QS University Rankings: Emerging Europe and Central Asia

Samara National Research University has confirmed its position in the top 100 universities in emerging countries of Europe and Central Asia according to the authoritative international QS University Rankings: Emerging Europe and Central Asia (QS EECA).

The ranking has analyzed the performance of 305 universities from 24 countries of the world.

Samara University strengthened its position in the top 100 universities of the ranking and moved up to the 98th position. The university is consistently improving its position in QS EECA: for the first time, the compilers of the study included Samara University in the ranking in 2015, when the university was ranked between positions 141-150. In 2016 the university made a breakthrough and moved up into the range of positions 101-110. And in 2017 it entered the top 100 universities in emerging countries of Europe and Central Asia.

“The strengthening positions in the top 100 of the QS EECA Rankings are extremely important for Samara University. This year, the experts included 27 new universities into the study, despite this we have moved up in the " tournament table” and entered the top 29% of the most dynamically emerging universities of this ranking. Our university, as well as our colleagues in the top -100 of QS EECA, does not stand still, we are making every effort to improve the quality of education and science, and this is reflected in expert assessments and helps us to advance at the international level”,  –  said Vice-Rector for Education and Foreign Affairs of Samara University Vladimir Bogatyrev.

When compiling the study the experts of the International QS University Rankings: Emerging Europe and Central Asia (QS EECA) analyze 9 indicators of universities: Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty/Student Ratio, Papers per Faculty, Citations per Paper, Web Impact from Webometrics, Proportion of Staff with PhD, Proportion of International Faculty and Proportion of International Students. 

At Samara University these criteria exceeded the median values of the ranking by 22% as a whole and showed an increase of 45.8% compared with other Russian universities included into the study. "The impressive dynamics for the year studied was shown by such criteria as: Papers per Faculty, Proportion of International Students and Web Impact from Webometrics", – said Vladimir Bogatyrev. 

Now 906 foreign students from 72 countries of the world are studying at Samara University. They are taught by the leading professors, including those from abroad, who are engaged in relevant scientific research.

According to the Vice-Rector, Samara University owes its dynamics in the criteria mentioned to the participation in "5-100" Federal Program on Increasing the Competitiveness of the leading Russian universities, close cooperation with industrial partners, as well as support from regional authorities represented by Governor Dmitry Azarov.

The effectiveness of the university is growing due to the integration of engineering and classical schools in 2015. "As a result of the unification of two universities, the university has retained its identity –  now it is a multidisciplinary university with a pronounced aerospace core, around which socio-humanitarian, natural-science, economic, law directions of personnel training and science are being formed. The university is actively developing interdisciplinary areas, for example such as space law, space biomedicine. We are solving new tasks on transforming the university into a centre for technological, innovation and social development of our country and the Samara Region in order to remain competitive at the Russian and international levels", – concluded Vladimir Bogatyrev.