University leaders pay close attention to comparative rankings such as those offered by Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. A radical change in the data underlying the rankings is about to turn the world of rankings on its head – largely in favor of China’s position.

In early 2024, Leiden University’s Center for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) will publish new university rankings that take open data sources into account alongside the usual list of elite journals. The results show a world turned upside down for university rankings.

In 2019, Chinese universities graduated 49,498 doctoral students in STEM subjects, compared to only 33,759 at US universities. Based on current enrollment patterns, the report projects that by 2025, the number of annual STEM doctoral graduates in China (77,179) will be nearly double that of the United States (39,959). Forbes.

Interested in this talent pool? Interested in expanding to China? Talk to us.