Study and the city
Kuala Lumpur made it to the top 50 of the best global student cities to live in out of 96 eligible locations.
THE mere mention of the word rankings in Malaysia often elicits all kinds of responses from positive and negative feedback to lackadaisical ones. But love or hate them, they cannot be ignored as rankings are an inevitable aspect of today’s higher education scene in most parts of the world and provide a useful basis for comparison.
This time however it was not Malaysian public universities that were being ranked but the city of Kuala Lumpur (KL) itself as a destination for tertiary students.
Malaysia’s capital city is ranked 44th in the inaugural QS Best Student Cities Rankings 2012 released on Thursday.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd Intelligence Unit head Ben Sowter explains that this new rankings is a new way for prospective students to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the world’s leading study destinations.
“For students, deciding where to study is about more than just choosing the most prestigious university.
“By measuring cities across criteria such as affordability, quality of living and employer reputation, we are able to provide them with a fresh perspective that, used in tandem with other information sources including our QS World University Rankings, will help them make more informed decisions about where and what to study,” he says.
QS also produces the annual QS World University Rankings.
Sowter explains that to be eligible for inclusion in the rankings, cities must have at least two internationally ranked universities, and a population of 250,000.
“A total of 96 cities in the world qualify on this basis, of which we have ranked the top 50,” he adds.
Singapore, at 12th spot, ranked highest among Asian cities. This is followed by Hong Kong and Tokyo (tied at 19), Seoul (23), Beijing (28) Taipei (34), Shanghai (39) and Kyoto (43). Bangkok is ranked 49.
In the global list, Paris tops the rest with London in second spot
and Boston third. ( see table)
The mechanics
Asked why QS decided to introduce these new rankings, Sowter explains that there is much interest in the World University Rankings and its website, topuniversities.com received over 12 million unique visitors in 2011.
“We regard this as a clear reflection of the demand for the kind of information we produce. We regularly interact and engage with thousands of students around the world through the recruitment fairs we organise each year, our website and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
“From the feedback that we have received, it is clear that there is a great demand for comparative information that addresses the student experience in a broader way than is possible in a ranking of institutions, such as the QS World University Rankings,” he adds.
Although student views and comments do not form a part of the methodology for the ranking, Sowter says students are encouraged to provide feedback on what makes a great student city from their point of view in their interactions through the various QS platforms.
Any suggestions that are feasible from a data collection point of view may be discussed among the QS Academic Advisory Board when the methodology for the 2013 ranking is reviewed.
The Best Student Cities Rankings methodology comprises 12 criteria, which are divided into five categories, each carrying a weighting of 20%. These categories are rankings, student mix, quality of living, employer reputation and affordability.
KL scores moderately well across four of the five categories, namely rankings, student mix, quality of living and employer reputation.
“However, KL has a very high score for affordability, with Mexico City the only city in the top 50 ranking higher in this criterion. It is this score driven by comparatively low living costs and affordable tuition fees for international students that helps it rank in the global top 50, as well as being one of the top 10 cities in Asia,” explains Sowter.
Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dr Ghauth Jasmon says the cosmopolitan nature of KL with its rich mix of culture, race, food and entertainment would have helped place it in the top 50.
“The good quality of education in Malaysia at fairly modest cost would help too. This positive news will in turn bring huge benefits to academic institutions in KL,” he shares.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled also welcomed the good news.
Based on his discussions with international students at the institution’s campus, Taylor’s University vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said says KL has many positive points including the lower cost of living and Malaysia’s easy accessibility.
“However, I do have some reservations over the instruments and parameters used to measure the rankings and feel that KL should have been placed higher,” he says.
Concurring with Prof Hassan, Sunway Education Group executive director Elizabeth Lee feels KL should have been ranked much higher.
“We have a mature and robust quality system thanks to the Malaysian Quality Framework in place, in comparison to some of our neighbours. English is also widely spoken here.
“Malaysian institutions are veterans in providing off-shore programmes and international education through innovative collaborative partnerships, being the first to pioneer the concept of twinning and have many foreign branch campuses of renowned universities in the country,” she explains.
There is, she adds, plenty of choice available from the relatively more matured private education sector here as well as the more affordable cost of living in KL compared to those ranked ahead.
Explaining further on the methodology, Sowter says the category on rankings measures the number and quality of universities in each city by looking at their performance in the QS World University Rankings.
The indicators have been designed to take into account the variety of internationally recognised universities found in large cities, as well as lending recognition to the locations of the world’s elite institutions.
“As for student mix, this category is designed to look at the student make-up of the city, both overall and from an international perspective.
“Cities with higher proportions of students are likely to be better equipped with the facilities they need, while those with high numbers of international students are more likely to have the facilities to welcome more,” he explains.
The quality of living is based on the results of the Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2011, which ranks the top 50 cities based on 10 criteria inlcuding the political and social environment, economic environment, health and sanitation, recreation, consumer goods and housing.
The employer reputation category measures the reputation of a city’s graduates among graduate employers, using the results of the QS Global Recruiter Survey 2011.
“Employers were asked to identify the universities from which they prefer to recruit graduates. The results are based on over 18,000 responses worldwide,” he says.
Affordability is based on costs associated with a university degree rise, he says, adding that it is one of the key issues for prospective students, particularly those who are considering studying abroad.
This category is subsequently divided into three sections to cover three key areas of student expenditure, namely tuition fees, retail costs and living costs.
Sowter says the research confirms that as well as having internationally competitive universities, Asia’s leading student cities also offer world-class study environments.
“The three top-ranked Asian cities are now major centres for international study and graduate employment,” he adds.
For more information, visit www. topuniversities.com