Veterinary Associations | Veterinary Education

The RVC retains top spot in global rankings 2023

vetreportMarch 22, 2023

The RVC (Royal Veterinary College) has maintained its position at the top of the QS World University Subject Rankings 2023. This is the third consecutive year the RVC has celebrated this accomplishment and the fourth time in the last five years to be honoured.

To produce the rankings for this year, QS analysed more than 16.4 million unique papers published between 2016-2020, producing close to 117.8 million citations in 2016-2021. 1,597 institutions were ranked across 54 subjects in five broad subject areas, creating more than 18,300 ranked entries.

The rankings are then determined by a range of criteria, including Academic Reputation, Research Impact, number of Citations, Employer Reputation and the H-index which ranks the impact and quality of the work published by the institution’s scientists and academics.

The RVC maintained its perfect score of 100 for Academic Reputation for the seventh year running. It also achieved an improved H-index (or Hirsch index) of 97.2, speaking to the productivity and impact of the RVC’s published work. The institution’s scores for citations and employer reputation are also highly commendable at 99.4 and 76.1 respectively, recognising not only the significance of the RVC’s research but also its standing amongst employers.

Professor Stuart Reid CBE, President & Principal of the RVC said:

“Once again, I am delighted with this outcome, in what is a collaborative but competitive environment. Working with our peers is a privilege and to be judged first amongst equals is an honour to which we aspire and, as always, one which we value greatly.”

The RVC offers internationally recognised degrees in veterinary medicine and nursing at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Currently, the institution has 1,501 students (both UK and international) on its Veterinary Medicine pathways, including the BVSC with Aberystwyth University, and 198 students on its Veterinary Nursing pathways, including its new Graduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Medicine.

In addition to the impact measured by QS, the RVC’s research and teaching of Veterinary Science conducted in its hospitals also helps bolster its clinical excellence. This includes world-leading diagnostics and treatments for small animals, equine, farm and exotic animals – with its first-opinion and specialist referral services providing internationally renowned care.

All these programmes complement the RVC’s veterinary remit and are underpinned by an intensive research portfolio which has been judged internationally excellent in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

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