Research at The World 100

Research focusing on international reputation is one of the main objectives for the World 100 Reputation Network. Research informs practice, explains budgetary decisions, progresses strategy, and enables reputation managers to excel in their jobs. That is why our research projects are much valued by members and are at the heart of what we do.

Reputation is fast-moving, and universities are constantly forced to evaluate their actions, friends, and audiences. The Network engages in at least one annual research project that pushes forward the boundaries of knowledge around reputation and helps those in charge of their university’s image to understand it, and better amplify it.

Members have full access to all previous research.

World 100 Research Projects

Over the years our research has investigated a range of topics related to reputation and higher education, including what factors contribute to university choice for PhD students; the relationship between changes in rankings and reputation as a whole;  approaches to online communications at top global universities; Structures, strategies, and resources for reputational advancement and much more!

As well as the annual research project, the World 100 also conducts research into topical issues affecting Higher Education throughout the year. For example, in 2020 we researched the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on how universities throughout the world were communicating.

To find out more about our research projects visit our research library. Alternatively, we’ve selected a few key stats that we have discovered over the years below:

World 100 research project 2023/2024

Of International PhD Students chose their university based on the attractiveness of the country

Of Australians prefer the Shanghai Ranking (now Academic Ranking of World Universities)

Of universities seek an international partnership with a similar ranking university to themselves

Of universities saw their communications budget restricted at the start of the pandemic

"You can't find that research in other places and so the projects that have been done over the past few years and the ones that are coming up, we do get some really valuable information that I can then share with colleagues in different parts of the university to help them with their work."

Andrea Farquhar, McMaster University

Andrea Farquhar

Reputation Tracking

The World 100 Reputation Tracker measures the reputation of  universities with a range of key audiences. The tracker allows all the universities to be measured against one another on key drivers of reputation. A UK version of the Tracker involves separate surveys with critical audiences, including  , prospective students, opinion formers, parents, teachers and businesses.  An International version covers global students, agents, academics as well as alumni, current students and staf.

Members of the Tracker use the report data to brief their own teams or senior management and have a genuine understanding of how their reputation compares with close competitors across critical audiences

International Tracker_Research
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World 100 Research Snapshot

Fit for the Future: Structures and Resources for Delivering Effective Reputation Management 2024

This year's research project aims to build a picture of the approaches to reputation management being taken by the world’s best universities and the resources they are deploying. The purpose is to provide global benchmarks to help leaders develop their operations. The results of the survey for this project will be compared to previous iterations completed in 2007, 2015 and 2020, providing insights into global trends.

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Symbiotic? Exploring the Relationship Between Reputation and Sustainable Development 2022/2023

The World 100 Network annual research project always aims to push the boundaries of understanding about global university reputation. The project for the 2022/23 membership year sought to gain some further understanding of the relationship between reputation and the recent focus of many universities on promoting activity around the sustainable development agenda.

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How Do Universities Stand Out: 2021/22

The World 100 Research Project for 2021/22 aimed to explore how the brand positioning of a university, from a centrality-distinctiveness perspective, can be influenced.
A challenge faced by the higher education sector is setting one’s institution apart in a crowded industry that is fiercely competitive. This project critically analysed the brand positioning of universities and the interplay of reputation, ranking and pricing in the mix.

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Riding the Tiger: Enhancing the Role of Reputation in International Partnerships

In 2018/2019 we examined the role that reputation plays in international partnerships. Members were asked about their institution's partnerships and what factors they considered when selecting partnership institutions and what systems they had in place for managing them.

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Brand Snapshot

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. Each university was assessed by two independent analysts on key brand attributes between January and June 2018.

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The R-Word: Communicating research at world-class universities

Strategies for impactful research communications was the focus of our 2015/16 W100 research project. Excellent universities are defined by excellent research, and one of the main skills of those who direct reputation is to make this research accessible, and as widely read as possible.

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Become a Member

The World 100 Reputation Network is a group of the best universities in the world, delivering research that enhances reputation and offering leaders the chance to develop their own careers on a global stage. Members benefit from events and study tours, training, monthly media monitoring, and unique reputation research to provide institutional advantage.

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