In May 2014 a new tool to rank universities got published, under the name U-multirank. With seed funding from the European Union, a consortium headed by Dr. Frans van Vught of the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) and Dr. Frank Ziegele of the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) developed a tool that covers more than 850 higher education institutions, 1200 faculties and 5000 study programmes from 70 countries around the world. AEGEE was involved in the creation of this tool, so the AEGEEan spoke to Miguel Gallardo Albajar (Comité Directeur) to hear more.
First of all, we wondered what exactly makes this tool an important invention for AEGEEans. “For AEGEE members, and students in general, U-multirank is a very useful tool when planning where to study”, Miguel says. “You can find which university matches your needs best, and then apply for a master there or go on Erasmus”. Because the tool allows everyone to elaborate their own comparison using the indicators that suit their needs best, a good choice is sure to be found. Next to this, the tool also pays attention to indicators that are often ignored or forgotten, like the opinion of students and the focus on internationalization.
By being a part of the Advisory Board and contributing with feedback in different phases with special attention to mobile students, AEGEE helped developing the tool, which is currently still in its first phase. “There are next steps coming, and we are very happy to continue being part of the U-multirank team”, Miguel says. “The information gathering is a responsibility of the universities, but I think in some cases AEGEE could partner with them to help in this task. Why not?”
Next to this project, AEGEE is also a partner of other projects supported by the European Commission, like IEREST (creating an educational tool to improve the intercultural education of Erasmus students) and COY (recognition of Youth Workers Competence), and leading the EVA-project, which assesses the role of mobility programmes, such as Erasmus, in developing an active citizen attitude.
Want to find more about the U-multirank tool to pick your abroad studies? Check out their website!
Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen