The 2009 Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings came out today, and Inside Higher Ed has a good rundown of both the results and the controversy behind them.
Some of the key takeaways:
* The United States and Britain continue to dominate the very top ranks with one university in Cambridge, Mass., leading the rankings and one in the original Cambridge in second place.
* The number of North American universities in the top 100 fell to 36 from 42 in just a year.
* The list saw increases in universities from Europe (39, up from 36) and Asia (16, up from 14 last year).
These rankings, like all rankings, are worth taking with a grain of salt, of course. Inside Higher Ed notes that, like the much maligned U.S. News & World Report rankings, they are overly reliant on reputational surveys.
