Abstract:

The impact of university rankings in Latin America has been a topic of growing interest due to globalization and technological advancement, which has increased the visibility of higher education institutions, influencing their reputation and prestige worldwide. This descriptive and cross-sectional study analyzes the Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings for the year 2023, focusing on Latin American universities, using a mixed approach that combines quantitative and qualitative analysis, allowing a comprehensive evaluation of these rankings in universities in the region.

Both rankings (THE and QS) emphasize research and teaching, while the diversity in their criteria generates debate about the validity and applicability of these rankings to reflect quality and contributions. The variability of the results indicates the positioning of Latin American universities between different rankings due to differences in evaluation criteria. By using the Biplot technique, we can see that the social contribution and role of universities in regional development is not considered among the indicators of these rankings.

In conclusion, the rankings (THE and QS) were studied indicating the importance of teaching and research, however, Latin American universities present other important parameters that can be considered as: social contribution to the community, due to the importance of the role of the university in changing the behavior of people in Latin countries.

Keywords:

Parameters, teaching, research, social contribution.