Examining the Correlation between Presence in the University Ranking Systems with Countries’ Income and R&D Expenditure: A Study on Medical Sciences Universities

This study aims to examine the presence of various countries in international university ranking systems, specifically the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), QS, and the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, focusing on medicine and related sciences. It also explores the relationship between the presence in the university ranking systems and country’s income level and spending on Research and Development (R&D). Data was gathered from the websites of the three international university ranking systems, as well as from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank. Findings showed that 1191 universities from 100 countries are present in medical sciences sections of the three ranking systems. About half of these countries are classified as high-income, while fewer than five are classified as low-income. A significant correlation was found between a country’s income level and the number of its universities appearing in the rankings. High-income countries have a noticeably higher number of universities in these rankings than other income levels (p-value ≥ 0.001). Additionally, the study found a significant relationship between a country’s R&D spending and the presence of its universities in the rankings: THE (r = 0.33), QS (r = 0.24), and ARWU (r = 0.28). In conclusion, countries should consider increasing their investment in R&D to achieve higher positions in international university ranking systems.