Interfax publishes 2021 National Ranking of Universities

Interfax Group has published its 12th annual National Ranking of Universities (NRU) for 2021.

The list of the 20 best universities in Russia is led by Lomonosov Moscow State University, followed by National Research Nuclear University MEPHI, National Research University Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), Novosibirsk State University, Higher School of Economics National Research University, St. Petersburg State University, Tomsk State University, MISIS National University of Science and Technology, Tomsk Polytechnic University and Kazan (Privolzhsky) Federal University.

The top 20 universities also include ITMO University, RUDN University, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Yeltsin Ural Federal University, Southern Federal University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (Ranepa), Siberian Federal University, Belgorod State University and Far Eastern Federal University.

The NRU project assessed the activities of 341 universities and institutes in Russia. The rankings include all of the country's prominent universities: 29 national research universities, 10 federal ones, 33 flagship universities, as well as 21 universities participating in Project 5-100. Eleven non-state universities were also assessed.

"The expert assessment of the key areas of universities' activities does not only reflect the current position of a post-secondary institution, it also determines the prospects for its future development. Many federal and regional universities increased their competitiveness this year, including by accelerating the digitization of educational processes and strengthening competencies related to new technologies and innovative solutions," Interfax Executive Director Alexei Gorshkov said.

"Interfax is actively working with universities as part of its Digital Technologies for Education and Science university program, promoting the introduction of the latest IT solutions into their everyday work. This program is aimed at improving the qualifications of young professionals, teachers and researchers, and introducing the latest practices for working with big data into research work at the country's leading post-secondary institutions and research centers," Gorshkov said.

The evaluation is done based on data from questionnaires completed by representatives of universities; available public data posted on institutions' websites; public data from the information resources of Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education; as well as information from the SPARK-Interfax and SCAN-Interfax information and analytical systems.

The universities' activities were assessed according to six parameters: education, research, social environment, international and interregional cooperation, brand, and innovation and technology entrepreneurship

All parameter and composite assessments are then rendered on a numerical 1,000-point scale, and universities are ranked by descending point value. The Composite Rating is the arithmetic result of the six parameter ratings.

The complete results of the National Ranking of Universities 2021 are available on the website academia.interfax.ru.

Interfax Group launched the National Ranking of Universities project in 2010 in order to develop new mechanisms and procedures for independent evaluation of Russian institutions of higher learning and their educational programs, increase the competitiveness of Russia's education system, research and technology entrepreneurship, and develop federal and regional universities.

Interfax Group is Russia's largest non-governmental information group, having created the advanced information and analytical systems SPARK, SCAN, RuData, Marker, and X-Compliance that help businesses manage risks and work with data efficiently. The group includes one of the most well-known and most cited Russian news agencies in the world, Interfax, whose clients include leading media outlets, government agencies, and major corporations and banks in Russia and globally.