UWindsor gets 'best-ever' placement in global ranking

University of Windsor on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)

The University of Windsor has achieved its highest-ever position in the World University Rankings by the Times Higher Education.

The 20th edition of the rankings was released on Sept. 27.

UWindsor made a notable jump, moving up nearly 100 spots to enter the 501-600 tier for the first time, placing it among the top third of universities globally.

Nationally, UWindsor was ranked seventh among non-medical Canadian universities and fourth among non-medical Ontario universities.

“Our progress in this prestigious ranking is gratifying and motivating,” said UWindsor president Robert Gordon. “It reflects the extensive efforts of our faculty, researchers, and staff who have been pushing boundaries, as individuals and as a collective, to advance knowledge and discovery in new and different ways.”

The 2024 World University Rankings included a record number of institutions – 1,904 across 108 countries and regions – and an updated methodology.

New measures were introduced to assess research strength, excellence, influence, and industry knowledge transfer. In total, universities were assessed on 18 performance indicators within five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry connections, and international outlook.

UWindsor improved its research quality and industry scores and earned a place in the top 25 per cent of all universities globally for its research environment, which considers research productivity, reputation and income generation.

"Our focus on excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity has helped UWindsor reach new heights in this prestigious global ranking, driven by our gains in research quality, partnerships, and impact," said Dr. Shanthi Johnson, vice-president, research, and innovation. “We will continue to champion innovation and collaboration, both locally and globally.”

UWindsor has now achieved its highest-ever placement in an international university ranking for the second time in recent months. In July, it was listed among the top 44 per cent of universities worldwide in the QS World University Rankings, where it also moved up 100 positions.

This year, 134 million citations, 68,402 scholar responses and data from 2,673 institutions were analyzed. Results are published only for universities meeting specified performance criteria; an additional 105 were included this year compared to 2023. The top 200 universities are ranked, and the others are categorized into tiers.