Overview
QS uses three values for university rankings: Rank, Score, Percentile.
Over time, these values change. These are what we call "Value Changes".
Our platform highlights and displays these changes with:
green values for positive change, and
red for negative change.
The change is relative to the value from the first year of the Benchmark Period (which you can adjust from the Dropdown).
Here is an example:
1. Rank Change
Definition:
Rank change shows how many positions a university has moved up or down in the ranking list between two time periods (e.g., from last year to this year).
Example:
If University A was ranked 25th last year and is ranked 20th this year, the rank change is +5 (an improvement of five places).
If it dropped to 30th, the rank change is –5.
Interpretation:
Rank change is simple and intuitive, but it depends heavily on how other universities perform.
Even if a university’s performance improves, it might still drop in rank if other institutions improved more.
2. Score Change
Definition:
Score change measures the difference in the university’s underlying score (for example, from 92.1 to 94.8) assigned by the ranking methodology.
Example:
If University A’s score increases from 92.1 to 94.8, its score change is +2.7 points.
Interpretation:
Scores show absolute performance improvement or decline, independent of other institutions.
However, a higher score doesn’t always mean a better rank if others also improved.
3. Percentile Change
Definition:
Percentile change shows how the university’s position compares to the entire population of ranked institutions, expressed as a percentage.
It represents the proportion of universities that scored lower.
Example:
If University A was in the 90th percentile last year, it performed better than 90% of institutions.
If it’s now in the 92nd percentile, that’s an improvement of +2 percentile points.
Interpretation:
Percentile is the most stable and comparable indicator of performance change.
Unlike rank, it adjusts for differences in sample size or new institutions entering the ranking.
This makes percentile the best measure for tracking long-term progress, especially when the number of ranked universities changes from year to year.
Summary Table
Indicator | What It Measures | Pros | Cons |
Rank Change | Position movement in ranking list (lower is better) | Simple to understand | Affected by others’ performance |
Score Change | Difference in numerical score (higher is better) | Shows true performance improvement | Doesn’t reflect competition |
Percentile Change | Relative position in the full sample (higher is better) | Adjusts for sample size; best for comparison | Less intuitive for non-statistical users |