Aims
The Faculty-Student Ratio indicator is a measure of the number of academic staff that an institution has to teach its students.
The more academic staff resources are made available to students, for teaching, supervision, curriculum development, and pastoral support, the better the learning experience should be.
The indicator is calculated by dividing the number of faculty staff by the number of students.
It forms part of the Learning Experience lens.
Relevant Rankings
- QS World University Rankings
- QS Arab Region Rankings
- QS Asia Region Rankings
- QS Europe Region Rankings
- QS Latin America and Caribbean Region Rankings
- QS Online MBA Rankings
It forms part of the Learning Experience lens.
Methodology
Below you can find the weighting(s) for the indicator. Weightings are reviewed on an annual basis.
| Ranking Project | Weighting |
| QS World University Rankings | 10% |
| QS Arab Region Rankings | 15% |
| QS Asia Region Rankings | 10% |
| QS Europe Region Rankings | 5% |
| QS Latin America and Caribbean Region Rankings | 10% |
| QS Online MBA Rankings | 10% |
Data Sources
The data for this indicator is drawn from two main sources:
- Institution data - Submitted by institutions as part of the research process
- Data from third-party sources - Including government ministries, agencies such as the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), and web sources
Where possible our data is checked against multiple sources to verify its authenticity.
Calculations
The indicator is calculated by dividing the number of faculty staff at an institution by the number of students.
To do this we gathers two distinct datasets:
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) faculty
The total faculty number includes both teaching and research staff.
Administrative and support staff are excluded.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) students
The total student number is a combination of undergraduate and postgraduate numbers.
Where this data is unavailable or incomplete, total student numbers are used.
FTE is calculated in the following way - Full-time + (Part-time/3)
Definitions
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), is a way to measure and compare staff or students even though they may work or study a different number of hours per week.
FTE is calculated in the following way - Full-time + (Part-time/3)
