The World 100 was set up to help the world’s best universities improve and manage their reputations. As a result, we’ve accumulated years of knowledge on the key ways to do so and, although we can’t share them all, we’ve narrowed it down to five key areas that can help you see the biggest impact.

We explore some initial results from 2021/2021 World 100 research project from the first audience surveyed, global academics

If you watched the 2022 commonwealth games, even if just for 15 minutes, you won’t have failed to notice the prominent marketing of a certain Midland-based university. World 100 member, The University of Birmingham, was front and centre of nearly every shot of the sporting action.

Ask someone on the street to name a prestigious university they will often name institutions with a long, rich history, established hundreds of years ago. But there are numerous institutions all over the world, founded much more recently, that are hot on the heels of those historical, elite universities. One of those universities is Aalto University, Finland, formed in just 2010.

World 100 Director Louise Simpson explored the origins and creative thinking behind the visual identity of Finland’s Aalto University during the THE Young University Summit, when she spoke to their president, Ilkka Niemelä.

The Knowledge Partnership, the founder of W100, was acquired by THE in December

Day 4 of our World 100 Conference looked heavily at relationships; whether that be departmental relations, relations with government and other stakeholders, and how relationship building will manifest itself in the future. 

Washington DC, Sydney, Vancouver, Manchester, Hong Kong; all places that hold great memories for members of the World 100 Reputation Network who were able to truly expand their horizons by attending our annual conference at the great universities in those cities.

The opening day of the W100 Virtual Annual Conference brought together participants from around the globe across a range of time-zones. Six conference sessions, featuring speakers from Australia, Europe and North America, grappled with some of the reputation challenges of the age. 

Plenary session from the 2019 Manchester conference looking at developing a Civic University Agreement and what that means in practice.

Our 2017/18 research project reviewed the online brand profile of the best universities in the world - the top 50 in the world in all four main global rankings, plus W100 members and nominated peers.