Five stars for Los Andes

The Universidad de los Andes was awarded a five-star rating by the QS star rating system. This is the highest rating that the university has received from the British firm Quacquarelli Symonds, which is well-known for creating one of the annual ratings of the best higher education institutions in the world.

From a maximum 1,000 points, Los Andes was awarded 853, which was the highest score that the university has received in this rating. The system evaluates universities that voluntarily allow themselves to be rated in more than thirty performance indicators grouped together in seven criteria that include the following: teaching, graduate employability, research, and internationalization.

The university performed particularly well in teaching, employability, internationalization, facilities, innovation and inclusion—it was awarded five stars in each category.

Employability was the category awarded with the highest score in Los Andes; 148 points out of a possible 150. According to the QS report, the university has built a strong reputation amongst employees. It highlights the 88% graduate employment rate as well as the academic and personal advisory programs.

As part of employability, Los Andes made an improvement compared to the previous year as it moved from a position in the 131-140 range to a position in the 111-120 range. Thirteen universities volunteered to be ranked in Colombia, and Los Andes came first in three of the five criteria that were rated.

The teaching category includes indicators such as teacher and student satisfaction, the number of teachers with a doctorate, and the number of students who are looking to further their studies. This rating shows that the university has an excellent setting. The institution was awarded 44 out of a possible fifty points, which demonstrates a great performance.

In the research category, Los Andes performed well, obtaining four out of a possible five stars.

In terms of its facilities, it obtained an excellent five-star qualification. It was awarded 18 out of a maximum twenty points for its library facilities. The IT facilities, medical facilities, and student societies were all awarded the maximum number of points.

The five stars was another piece of good news that Los Andes received as well as its historic position in the global ranking of the best universities undertaken by QS in June 2019. The university placed in 234^th in the QS World University Ranking, which means it is in the top one percent in the world.