These were some of the figures released on Tuesday when the annual QS World University Rankings were released just after midnight GMT. The QS rankings compare the world’s top institutions across a range of areas, including those that are of interest to prospective students.

Overall, UP was ranked between 471 to 480 in the world for 2013/2014, at least 20 positions up from its previous ranking in 2012, when it was rated between 501 and 550.

“We are proud that our hard work in pursuit of our long-term strategy, UP2025, is bearing fruit,” said Prof Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP.

For the latest edition of rankings, more than 2 000 universities across the world were assessed and 800 were rated. The top 400 universities are given individual ranking positions, and thereafter universities are placed within a group, starting from 401-410, up to 701+.

The QS rankings are calculated based on six indicators:

• academic reputation (40%),
• employer reputation (10%),
• the ratio of academic staff employed to students enrolled (20%),
• number of research citations per academic staff member (20%),
• number of international students (5%) and
• international staff members (5%).

The first two of the indicators above are determined by an international survey with input from academic peers and employers of the University’s graduates. This year, over 62 094 academic and 27 957 employer responses contributed towards the results of the ranking.

UP’s academic reputation (where academic peers from all over the world indicate the most significant research currently taking place in their fields of expertise) was rated as 305^th in the world.

When it comes to employer reputation (where employers are asked to identify Universities that in their view produce the best graduates), UP was rated at number 311. This indicator is aimed at giving students a better view of how a higher education institution prepares them for the job market.

In addition to the overall university rankings, the results are also published relative to five broad subject areas.

In the field of Arts and Humanities, the University was rated number 292 and for Social Sciences and Management, UP came in at 270.