University of Malta Improves Profile and Standing

In May, the U-Multirank survey results were released. U-Multirank is an innovative approach to the international ranking of universities on a like-with-like basis, funded by the European Commission. Unlike other international university league tables, it is driven by users rather than by private companies. The University of Malta has participated in this exercise since 2015. The 2018 results indicate that the University has consistently improved its performance in the teaching and learning indicators over these four years and is now in the top rank in terms of timely graduation for its undergraduate programmes.

The University has also improved its research output with the fourth consecutive increase in scientific publications per year. It has also improved its knowledge transfer capability, consistently improving its number of co-pub- lications with industrial partners and its number of graduate companies for which it is now ranked in the second tier of comparable universities.

In line with the vision of its rector Prof. Alfred Vella, the University has also significantly improved its international orientation. While it has retained its consistently high second-tier ranking with respect to student mobility, it is now in the first rank of comparable universities in terms of international joint publications and in the second rank in terms of its percentage of international academic staff. In four years it has also increased six-fold its percentage of international doctorate degrees, going up from fifth to third rank.

The University of Malta has a very strong showing in terms of the percentage of bachelor graduates that are in employment and has seen an almost four-fold in- crease in regional joint publications since 2015.

Prof. Vella expressed satisfaction at the improved results and stressed that the University continues working hard to further improve its services and enhance its regional and international profile.

U-Multirank compares the performances of universities in the five broad dimensions of university activity: (1) teaching and learning, (2) research, (3) knowledge transfer, (4) international orientation and (5) regional engagement. The U-Multirank web tool enables comparisons at the level of the University as a whole and at the level of specific fields of study. It allows users to develop their own personalised rankings by selecting indicators in terms of their own preferences. U-Multirank started in 2010 with 150 participating universities and now includes data from 1,500 participating institutions. The University selection is based on comparison with universities of comparable size and scope among the 1,500 who participated. For more information visit www.umultirank.org