Invitation: Support UCT’s QS reputation rankings

Dear researchers

I write to share an important request, for which we kindly ask for your assistance.

Annually, we are presented with the chance to nominate academic peers and employers of our graduates for inclusion in the reputation survey that is an integral part of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (WUR). Our university's success is not solely dependent on rankings and we firmly believe in showcasing excellence in diverse ways. While these rankings offer valuable opportunities, particularly in terms of recruiting promising students as well as attracting funding and potential collaborators, they are often criticised. This is because the supporting reputation surveys tend to be biased towards the Global North, and indeed the reputation metrics are those where the University of Cape Town (UCT) fares the worst, along with many otherwise highly-ranked institutions from the Global South. Through this request, we have an opportunity to address this.

As part of UCT’s participation in the QS WUR 2027, we are requested to provide a list of senior academic peers and graduate employers. They will be contacted and invited to participate in the upcoming QS Academic and Employer Reputation Survey. The academic reputation survey now comprises 30% of the total points by which a university is ranked; and the employer survey comprises a further 15%. Together, they are crucial to our overall place in the QS world rankings.

We thus ask for your help in providing contact information of international peers that you collaborate with or who will be familiar with your research expertise and hence readily acknowledge UCT as an institution where excellent research and teaching is being produced.

I therefore request that you complete this online form by 12 December 2025, or as soon as possible.

With thanks

Professor Jeff Murugan
Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation

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