on Wednesday released the thirteenth annual edition of the Latin America & Caribbean university rankings. The results see Peru boast one of the region's most improved higher education systems, with some 33% of its universities climbing the table, while only 8% drop.
Universidade de São Paulo takes the regional top spot, usurping Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile which comes second, while Brazil's Universidade Estadual de Campinas is placed third.
Peru is home to 24 ranked universities this year. Of these, eight rise, two drop down the table, and 12 remain stable in their rank or band. Two rank for the first time.
Peru in Focus
Among countries with 10 or more ranked universities, Peru boasts the lowest percentage of universities to drop down the table, at 8%.
With 50% of its institutions remaining stable, and 33% improving, this gives Peru an overall year-on-year improvement of 25% —the highest in the region.
Employer Reputation marks a strong suit for Peru. In fact, it enjoys Latin America and the Caribbean's highest average score per institution and an impressive 10 universities among the region's top 100, including six in the top 50.
This gives Peru the region's highest percentage of universities in these tiers, considering countries with 10 or more ranked institutions.
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru is the national leader in both QS' reputational indicators,
ranked 11th in both Academic Reputation and Employer Reputation. Five Peruvian universities are among the region's top 100 for Academic Reputation.
Peru's highest rank in any individual indicator is achieved by Universidad Privada Norbert Wiener, which is placed 7th in QS' measure of class size and resource allocation, Faculty per Student Ratio. In doing so, it also achieves Peru's only top 10 indicator score.
Research metrics mark a challenge for Peruvian universities.
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru is the country's most collaborative research institution, ranking 49th in International Research Network. It is the only university among the region's top 50 for this indicator.
According to the report, Peru's struggles in research are even more pronounced in QS' measure of research productivity, Papers per Faculty, in which only Universidad del Pacifico is among the top 100, ranked 74th. However, with 67% of its universities moving up the table, this is also Peru's most improved indicator.
"In the Caribbean and Latin America higher education landscape, Peru shines for its resilience and progress. With only 8% of universities dropping in the ranking, a remarkable 25% overall improvement stands out as one of the highest in the region," QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter said.
"Notably, it has fostered an impressive reputation among employers, indicating its graduates are highly skilled and work-ready and that its industry partnerships are fruitful. However, challenges persist in research metrics, particularly in terms of productivity. Its significant improvement in this area year-on-year should provide comfort to the sector and is indicative of Peru's broader success in recent rankings," Sowter continued.
"Peru's recent economic growth has meant increased enrolment and universities numbers which, predictably, raises quality and funding concerns. However, Peru continues to compete with its larger regional counterparts. By addressing research and staffing quality it can further enhance regional competitiveness," he added.
Latin America & Caribbean: Highlights
The 2024 edition of the QS World University Rankings: Latin America & Caribbean features 430 institutions across 25 countries. Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago are represented for the first time.
Brazil is the most represented country, with 97 ranked universities, followed by Mexico with 63 and Colombia with 61. Brazil also boasts the most well-trained faculty body, according to its number of staff with a PhD. Forty-three of the region's top 50 universities in this metric are Brazilian.
Among countries with 10 or more ranked universities, Chile is the most well-renowned among international academics. This is underpinned by prolific research and intense international collaboration.
The Dominican Republic produces some of the highest-impact research, according to Citations per Paper, with an average score per institution of 60.2/100 —the region's highest among countries with 10 or more ranked universities.
In turn, Colombia is home to the region's most top 50 universities in the Employer Reputation indicator.
For its part, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico commands the region's best reputation among international academics.