#1 in Ireland
Maynooth University has today been recognised as one of the leading new universities in the world with Times Higher Education (THE) ranking it #49 in its latest Young University Rankings. The ranking is the highest position ever achieved by Maynooth, and is the highest position achieved by an Irish university ever.
The success follows on from Maynooth’s extremely strong performances in other recent THE rankings, including being named among the top 400 universities in the world, the top 200 European universities, and being recognised as one of the top 200 universities with strongest international connections and perspective in the world.
The Young University Rankings, previously the “Top 150 Under 50,” are based on a range of criteria including research income achieved, reputation for teaching, numbers of PhDs awarded, the number and quality of scholarly papers and citations from staff and numbers of international staff and students. Maynooth jumped 18 places (from #68) since last year and is ranked as the number one young university in Ireland. The top-ranked new university is Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne in Switzerland. The announcement comes as Maynooth University prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its foundation in June this year.
Commenting on the new ranking, Maynooth University President, Professor Philip Nolan, said: “This is a huge endorsement of the University’s strategy to see Maynooth performing so strongly in terms of its perception by its international peers. It is just 20 years since Maynooth University was established as an independent institution by the Universities Act of 1997, and this is a huge endorsement of the hard work, research impact, and exceptional teaching on the part of the entire university community.
“Maynooth University has tremendous momentum as an institution, and our success has been built upon a willingness to challenge the norms and assumptions of higher education in Ireland. Our researchers are confronting some of the most difficult problems facing society today; we are a progressive force in addressing the pressures of the points race, offering a unique proposition to undergraduate and post graduate students in Ireland; and we have grown into a global university with more than 1,500 international students+ from more than 85 countries. I think this achievement signals how well-placed we are to build on our success for years to come as a leading international university rooted in and serving the needs of changing country and changing world," added Professor Nolan.
Discussing Maynooth University’s success, Phil Baty, Times Higher Education World University Rankings Editor, said: “Congratulations to Maynooth University for making the top 50 in the 2017 list of the world’s leading young universities – and taking the number one position in Ireland. The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings use the same exacting and tough 13 performance indicators as the traditional THE World University Rankings, covering teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook, so making the world top 50 is an exceptional achievement.”
“Maynooth has particular strength in its "international outlook” - ensuring it attracts global talent and collaborates in research with universities across the world. This has helped it achieve a strong score also for its global research impact too,” added Baty.
Tracing its origins to the foundation of the Royal College of St Patrick in 1795, Maynooth University was formally established as an autonomous university in 1997. Maynooth is Ireland’s fastest growing university with more than 11,000 students, including almost 1,600 taught postgraduate and professional students and over 400 research students.The University has a network of more than 70,000 alumni around the globe.
