The University of Victoria dropped out of the top 200 in world university rankings released by Times Higher Education this week.
The British-based publication placed UVic in the 201-225 category. The school finished in 196th spot in 2012, 177th in 2011 and 130th in 2010.
Catherine Mateer, associate vice-president of academic planning, said UVic remains among the best universities in the world and one of the highest-ranked in Canada.
“These sort of markers — 200 level or 250 level — are kind of arbitrary,” she said. “The actual individual components of our score didn’t change very much. There’s no indication that we’re somehow slipping in our quality.”
Mateer said the rankings appear to be driven in part by investment and resources. The universities making the biggest gains at the expense of others seem to be located in southeast Asia, “where there has been huge investment in infrastructure, buildings, libraries, research facilities, faculty operating funds,” she said.
By contrast, many post-secondary schools in Canada are facing budget cuts and trying to do more with less, she said.
“So it’s a challenge because I think to compete in those top tiers does take an investment. But I’m very pleased with where we are in the rankings and I’m pleased we continue to be one of the world’s top universities in both research and teaching.”
