National Ratings of Higher Education Institutions As a Tool for Assessing the Quality of Higher Education in Ukraine

The purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the rating methodology of the leading national rankings of higher education institutions in Ukraine. The research methodology is based on abstraction, analysis, and synthesis methods usage, which allowed us to theoretically comprehend the phenomenon of Ukrainian higher education institutions’ ranking. The scientific novelty of the obtained results is the development of proposals for improving the Ukrainian rankings of higher education institutions. Contrary to popular belief that higher education institutions rankings are the simplest, most accessible, and obvious way to make particular decisions about higher education institutions, in fact, ratings are not an indicator of the latter’s quality – to characterize higher education institutions with one number, which indicates its position in the ranking, is illogical. The position in the ranking is, of course, an indicator of a higher education institution’s high academic reputation, but it is not always objective. Ratings cannot replace the quality of educational assessment in higher education institutions, although they ensure the transparency of specific indicators of its work. Attempts by higher education institutions to become leaders in the ranking lead to short-term measures to increase the effectiveness of their activities, in particular, to encourage researchers to increase publishing activity and others. But in the long run, this cannot affect its progressive development.

It is necessary to evaluate a higher education institution by taking into account its impact on society, as it is the most integrated system imaginable today. Each higher education institution, in its activities, must be targeted at a specific target audience, which corresponds to one of the Berlin principles of ranking higher education institutions, according to which ranking is determined by a clear focus on a particular group of consumers in the ranking. In addition, higher education institutions should be ranked in groups, taking into account different missions, different profiles of scientific and educational activities, and different numbers of students and professors. Applicants themselves in their choice of higher education institution must take into account not only its position in the ranking but also the level of requirements for applicants, the demand for graduates, and others.