PARTICIPATION IN WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS AS A MAJOR FACTOR INFLUENCING THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY OF COUNTRIES AND THE DE-VELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITIES
This article discusses the participation of universities in global rankings of world universities and their impact on higher education institutions around the world. It is suggested that international rankings affect universities in both advanced economies and developing countries. There is an understanding and an undeniable desire to improve positions in rankings, as this directly affects the prestige of the university, which in turn allows them to attract more talented students. The most influential global rankings are the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai University Ranking), first published in 2003, and the QS World University Rankings, the first edition of which was published in 2004. The results of these rankings led to the emergence of the term of “World Class University”. The governments of many countries of the world (China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Russia) are making great efforts to promote the universities of their countries to the Top-100 of rankings. Being among the top 100 universities gives the right to call a university “World Class University”. The article analyzes the strategies for responding to the results of international rankings. Among the main ones are the following: the allocation of additional funding to selected universities, enhanced internationalization of the student environment, cooperation with leading foreign universities. In Russia, there are two strategies: the modernization of universities and the merger of several universities. In conclusion, it is noted that global rankings today are an integral part of higher education. And universities are ready to work within the framework of the established methodology, despite the existing shortcomings.