Alumni Impact

Aims

The Alumni Impact metric aims to measure an institution’s record in producing graduates that have gone on to make a meaningful impact on society.

To do this we compile and analyse the profiles of 82,000+ impactful graduates in areas such as business, politics, higher education, and charities, to identify the institutions where they undertook their studies.

An institution’s score in this area is then calculated based on the share of impactful graduates it has at both a domestic and global level.

This metric forms part of the Employment Outcomes indicator.

Relevant Rankings

As part of the Employment Outcomes indicator, Alumni Impact is used in the following rankings:

• World University Rankings
• World University Rankings: Europe
• Global MBA Rankings
• Business Masters Rankings

Definitions

To identify impactful graduates we compile 600+ lists across an approximate 10-year period that fall into the following areas:

Award Winners

Alumni who have won select international prizes.

These lists cover individuals from over 88 countries who have been named award winners by organisations including the Nobel Foundation, UNESCO and the MAN Booker.

Business Leaders

Alumni who sit on the boards of notable publicly listed companies or are recommended in lists from notable business publications.

These lists include data from company listings across 38 global stock exchanges.

We also look at lists of high-profile and influential business leaders from publishers including Forbes and Time.

Organisations

Alumni who hold leadership roles at key global NGOs.

These lists cover individuals who hold leadership positions at NGOs in areas including charity, medicine, and science.

This includes the likes of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and NASA.

Political Leaders

Alumni who hold executive cabinet positions in national governments.

These lists include individuals who hold or have held senior ministerial positions across a range of countries.  

Methodology

To calculate an institution’s final Alumni Impact score (1-100) we combine two sub-metrics:

Final Metric Calculation

(Alumni Impact Index * 0.6) + (Alumni Impact Students * 0.4)

Notes

For graduates with multiple degrees, we award points where there is more than one institution.

To ensure our lists are fair and balanced we follow the following governance rules:

Diverse Source Selection

Data is sourced from a diverse range of countries and regions to represent a broad spectrum of educational systems and cultural backgrounds.

Inclusion Criteria

We use clearly defined criteria that are objective and applicable to all alumni, including academic performance, professional success, or notable achievements.

Subject Representation

We ensure that the data sets cover a comprehensive range of university subjects and disciplines to capture achievements in various fields.

Reputation and Credibility

We only use data sets from sources with established reputations.

Standardized Metrics

We use standardized metrics for assessing alumni achievements to maintain consistency and comparability across different data sets.

Data Verification

We verify the accuracy and reliability of the data through cross-referencing with other reputable sources or conducting validation checks.

Ethical Considerations

We protect the privacy and rights of the individuals represented in the data. Data can only be collected from publicly available sources.