Current state:
QS does not include data from international campuses in the evaluation of institutions. For example, if a British university has a campus in Malaysia, this campus does not contribute to the analysis for the parent institution. Note that this does not affect autonomous institutions that happen to share a name or history, but that are governed by an independent leadership team.
Future plan:
International Campuses have become more common over the past few years. Previously, QS did not consider these campuses in the evaluation of the parent campus. After extended consultation with stakeholders, including our Advisory Board, QS has revised its policy on this to provide two pathways: autonomous, and non-autonomous. Please see the Timeliness paragraph at the bottom of page to understand when this is happening.
One of the key considerations is whether or not the international campus directly benefits towards, and benefits from, its parent campus. Typically, the brand reputation, not to mention the established set of skills and research of a parent university, is integral in establishing the satellite campus and attracting students. If this parent reputation and experience is clearly in place, then both campuses must share in this - the quality of education provision in one campus must contribute to the other. If it does, then there is a shared responsibility between these campuses to deliver a quality and largely equivalent education to students regardless of which campus they are studying at.
We use specific guidelines in arriving at a decision on whether a campus of an institution can be considered separately for rankings purposes. Where a campus is determined to be non-autonomous, its data (reputation, staff/student, research, sustainability etc.) will be analyzed as part of the whole institution as per the following sets of parameters.
Reputation:
- All academic and employer nominations for the satellite campus that come from the country of that satellite campus will be counted as domestic.
- All academic and employer nominations for the satellite campus that come from outside the country of that satellite campus will be counted as international.
We will only accept nominations for one campus in this scenario. Where respondents have nominated both the domestic and international campus, the domestic nomination will be used. For example:
Scenario A:
A university in the UK has a branch campus in Malaysia. A Malaysian academic or employer completes our survey. In the domestic list, they nominate the Malaysian campus. In the international list, they nominate the UK campus. We will use the domestic (Malaysia) nomination, with its relevant weight.
Scenario B:
A university in the UK has a branch campus in Malaysia. An Australian academic or employer completes our survey. In the domestic list, they cannot nominate either of those campuses. In the international list, they nominate both the Malaysian and the UK campus. We will use only one of these international nominations, with its relevant weight.
International Students and International Faculty
- Students and staff whose passport matches the country of the international (secondary) campus should be counted as domestic students and staff.
- Students and staff whose passport does not match the country of the international (secondary) campus should be counted as international students and staff.
Research
Any Scopus affiliation ID associated with the branch campus will contribute to the the citations and papers of the overall institution.
Timelines
Calendar year 2023/2024.
We are currently working with institutions to find out more information on their international branch campuses. You may have already received an email about this.
Calendar Year 2025.
In terms of when this will apply to the rankings calculations, this will start from QS World University Rankings 2026 (June of 2025). Any unresolvable dispute will be taken through our appeals process, where the matter will be referred to the rankings committee. Screening Procedure