International league tables comparing universities are increasingly influential but also controversial. While they provide information for various stakeholders, their methodologies are questionable and criteria may not fully capture university quality. They can also incentivize universities in unintended ways and be politically manipulated. Most argue tables should be used carefully while also working to improve teaching, research, and other outcomes that tables measure.

1. International League Tables: a new kind of game or more of the same? Dr Paul Greatrix, Registrar, The University of Nottingham Dr Tony Rich, Registrar and Secretary, University of Essex

7. League tables are a bad thing... “ The silly season that marks the publication of University league tables is nonsensical and illogical. As any New Scientist knows, letters into numbers; quality into quantity won’t go. League tables are simplistic, divisive and undermine the qualitative nature of a University’s work”

8. But we’ll use them anyway! “ Having said that, I’m not ashamed to report that we came a very creditable 79 th overall, with my own department rating a particularly good score for research - and as I remarked to the Dean, you can’t get much better than that.”

15. And a completely different approach: UEL: TQ in the South East 2005 Surplus of good practice over recommendations (in QAA audit reports) 1 East London 4 2 King's College London 2 3 Brunel 2 4 Queen Mary, London 0 5 Kent 0 6 Hertfordshire 0 7 Royal Holloway -1 8 London South Bank -3 9 Greenwich -6 10 Essex -6 11 Anglia Polytechnic -9

20. Shanghai Jiao Tong 2007: Regional Analysis 5 2 1 Africas 100 64 42 24 9 1 Asia/ Pacific 208 172 123 80 34 2 Europe 197 164 138 98 58 17 North/ Latin America Top 500 Top 400 Top 300 Top 200 Top 100 Top 20 Region

24. Do it yourself Your chance to show that you have a better understanding than the press of what really matters in HE

25. Do it yourself All you have to do is use your skill and judgement to determine the most sensible weighting which should be applied to the criteria you select

34. Finally For a copy of the presentation and further league table commentary and observations, visit: http://registrarism.wordpress.com/