Analysis 2011-2012

The publication of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has become one of the key annual events in the international higher education calendar. They are used by undergraduate and postgraduate students to help select degree courses, by academics to inform career decisions, by research teams to identify new collaborative partners, and by university managers to benchmark their performance and set strategic priorities. As nations across the globe focus on the establishment of world-class universities as essential elements of a dynamic economy, our rankings are increasingly employed as a tool for governments to set national policy.

Below, Times Higher Education offers analysis and commentary on the world rankings results.

With focus, smaller teams can win big - Phil Baty

You want fame? Here's where you start paying... - Andrew Oswald

At the nexus of East and West - Tan Chorh Chuan

Vote for a better world - Susan Hockfield

The medium is the message; the message is opportunity - David Naylor

It's all about transformation - Glyn Davis

Under the radar activity - Phil Baty

Africa's scramble for regeneration - Sibry Tapsoba

Shopping around - Aaron Porter