Us Universities’ Outstanding Performances: Why and for How Long?
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Category: Societal Issues
Date Submitted: 09/09/2013 05:23 PM
US Universities’ outstanding performances: why and for how long?
American universities have been dominating the tops of almost every world universities rankings for many decades. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the US has 8 universities in the world top 10, whereas the first French university, ‘Pierre et Marie University – Paris 6’, only appears at rank number 39. This reflects the quality of American higher education, which leads in terms of research performance and career possibilities of student. Yet American universities’ domination is becoming to be under threat, as Asian universities attract more and more international students and begin to catch up USA in global rankings.
Why do US universities rank so high in the Academic Ranking of World Universities or any international higher education ranking?
- They have consequent resources
American universities are very well financed. As a result, they benefit from abundant resources, which enable them to attract top researchers and professors by proposing them high and competitive salaries. Their money comes from three main sources: government money and endowment from public organizations, donations from private firms, alumni or individuals and tuition fees.
Top US universities have huge endowments that guarantee financial stability and security. For example, Harvard’s endowment in 2006 was more than $ 28 bn whereas Cambridge’s was only $ 4 bn. And such large endowment generates high returns with lower risks. Therefore, top US universities are able to focus on long-term goals that require budget security, unlike many European universities. Moreover, a virtuous circle has been created as these top universities have excellent faculty, which are consequently very well positioned to compete for state research funding.
Tuitions and fees are also important. For example, the total tuition’s cost in Harvard College without financial aid was $36,305 for the years 2011-2012. However,...
