Three top Chinese universities reject international rankings
Three top Chinese universities say they will withdraw from international rankings, according to Chinese state media.
Several top-tier Chinese universities reportedly will withdraw from international university rankings as Beijing vows to build “world-class universities with Chinese characteristics”.
Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, and Lanzhou University – all members of the prestigious “project 985” group that benefits from extra state funding to propel them to international excellence – have stopped co-operating with world university ranking agencies, according to the state-owned China National Radio. In a separate commentary, China National Radio provided an explanation of the decision.
“International rankings were once highly sought after but are now no longer highly valued. The watering down of the international rankings is becoming a general trend and this has public support,” it said.
This week’s news of the rankings withdrawal comes weeks after President Xi Jinping visited Renmin University in Beijing and made a speech in which he urged the country’s universities to be “deeply rooted” in China and stressed China’s “unique history, distinctive culture, and special national context”.
“Building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics would not work by blindly following others or simply copying foreign standards and models. It requires blazing a new path instead,” Mr Xi said.
In the speech he also urged universities to make philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics “an important part of the world’s academic society”.
Nanjing University, in particular, is highly regarded internationally.
It is a member of the C9 League, the group of nine elite universities that in 1998 were originally singled out for special state assistance to accelerate their development and match high international standards.
Nanjing University has numerous links to Australian universities. It is a partner of the University of Melbourne’s Confucius Institute, and has student exchange agreements with Monash University and the University of NSW. However, according to a Chinese Education Ministry database, neither Nanjing, Renmin or Lanzhou universities currently operate joint courses with Australian universities.
Nanjing is ranked 105th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 131st by QS World University Rankings.
While Renmin University and Lanzhou University have lower global rankings, they excel in particular subject areas.
For example, QS ranks Renmin University 44th in the world in philosophy and 76th in sociology. Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He is among the university’s famous alumni.
Chinese social media has reacted to the news of the three universities withdrawing from international rankings.
One popular commentator hailed the moves as “withdrawal from the Western hegemonic review system” and “the first shot fired on cultural decoupling”.
But others expressed concern. “It feels like little by little you can’t go to study abroad,” an anonymous poster said on the Weibo social media platform. “It will not be easy for students from these universities for postgraduate study abroad. The door has closed.”
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