The University of Leeds has once again been recognised as one of the world's most international universities.
The Times Higher Education ranking shows that the University has risen for a third consecutive year, climbing five places in the 2020 table to 35th in the world.
Our international strategy – International Leeds – is led by Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: International. He said:
“Leeds is a truly international university, attracting the brightest students and staff from all over the world.
“Global collaboration across disciplines and expertise is vital if we are to tackle the big, intractable problems faced by the world, and to continue our success in world-changing research.
“We will continue to work to establish impactful partnerships with world-leading universities across the globe to help address global challenges and to provide world-class education and learning opportunities for our students.”
The Times Higher Education (THE) ranking is compiled using international student and staff proportion scores, international co-authorship scores and international reputation metrics collected for the magazine's World University Rankings 2020.
It aims to establish which institutions have the highest proportions of international students and staff, collaborate on research with scholars from across the world, and have a strong global reputation to match.
“Leeds is a truly international university, attracting the brightest students and staff from all over the world.”
International excellence
Success in the THE ranking builds on our equally impressive performance in the QS World University Rankings 2020.
In a year that saw more than half of UK universities in the influential global ranking drop down the table, the University of Leeds consolidated its position of joint 93rd in the world, moving up the list of UK universities for the third year in succession, to 15th.
Leeds also saw its score for academic reputation increase.
World of opportunities
The University of Leeds has continued to strengthen international partnerships, through a series of high-profile meetings and collaborations during the past 12 months.
In October 2019, Leeds signed six new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreements with high-profile institutions around the world and extended another.
Partnerships were established with the:
· Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta
· SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chennai
· Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) Patiala
· China FSA (CFSA)
· Asan Medical Center (AMC) in South Korea; and
· Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU) in Pakistan.
The MoU extension was signed with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
This raft of international collaborations followed hot on the heels of a new partnership agreement in March 2019 with one of Europe’s largest research and educational institutions.
The alliance with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany will develop new research collaborations and exchange opportunities for undergraduate students, postgraduates and staff.
It builds on a longstanding collaboration between our Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS) and KIT’s Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research – two of Europe’s renowned research institutes for atmospheric science.
At the same time, our joint school with Southwest Jiaotong University continues to flourish, as do other Chinese partnerships created through MoUs with Northwest University and Shanghai International Studies University (SISU).
Inspiring innovation
Leeds and the City Region once again took its place on the international stage last month, with visitors from across the world seeing first-hand how we inspire innovation.
The visit was part of a prestigious programme, offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan Global Programs, which shares experiences of building innovation-driven ecosystems in more than 50 regions around the world.
Developing its own ambitious plans for the city and region, Leeds hosted the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (MIT REAP) international workshop at Nexus, the University’s innovation centre, taking the opportunity to showcase its strengths to global leaders.
The best minds
The number of international students at Leeds has risen consistently in recent years, with the total number now exceeding 10,000.
International scholarships are available to encourage the brightest students worldwide, in addition to those available to all students irrespective of their background.
Leeds also runs an international foundation year to help prepare undergraduate students for the demands of studying for a UK degree, and runs the Link to Leeds scheme to help international students prepare for, and settle into, life on campus.
From a staff perspective, the University runs a hugely successful buddy scheme, as part of the support offered to international staff as they arrive to take up new positions at the University. This warm welcome to life in Leeds is further reinforced through our annual reception for new international colleagues.
Global impact
Leeds has also been ranked in the top three UK universities for global funding success, according to Research Fortnight.
Awards from the Global Challenges Research Fund and the Newton Fund include research aimed at improving the quality of life for people in developing countries.
Leeds received more than €19m in funding from the prestigious and highly selective European Research Council (ERC) in 2018. The figures – announced in 2019 – place Leeds in the top 10 recipients of ERC funding among UK universities for the first time.