Analysis of internationalization indicators influence on ranking position of Russian universities

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the interdependence between university internationalization level and their position in respected international ratings. Nowadays, integration into international educational space has become a matter of top priority for many Russian universities. However, the question concerning the degree of international component influence over their position in international ratings remains unanswered. This article is an attempt of using mathematic statistical methods to identify the interdependence between these two indicators. The objects of the research include 18 Russian universities featured in QS and THE ratings in 2016 and 18 international universities from top-100 universities in the above mentioned ratings. Analysis of the obtained results allows presenting a descriptive hypothesis on two opposing trends, typical of foreign and Russian universities. The latter demonstrate either weak positive or weak negative correlation between rating position and international activities indicators. Foreign universities, on the contrary, demonstrate pronounced positive correlation between indicators under analysis. Maximal correlation has been identified between QS rating and the number of foreign lecturers. Hypotheses suggested in this article can be of interest to university administration in the process of formulating and altering strategic development plans.