Prince George, B.C. – The University of Northern British Columbia saw its scores improve in four of the five categories used to determine the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, including a notable jump in the International Outlook pillar.

For the first time since 2017, International Outlook is UNBC’s highest-ranked category, placing 736th out of the more than 1,900 universities worldwide included in the rankings. The category measures international faculty and staff, the amount of research papers that include international co-authors, the percentage of international students and the percentage of students who take part in study abroad opportunities.

Overall, UNBC maintained its place in the group of universities ranked 801st to 1,000th for the sixth straight year. This year, the rankings include 1,904 universities that are active in research and globally focused.

“UNBC's consistent success in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings is a testament to students and alumni who are agents of change in their community; to trailblazing faculty making a difference at campuses across the North; to staff who support student success; and to community champions whose ongoing support allows UNBC to lead a sustainable future in northern B.C. and beyond,” says UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne. “Having a strong international outlook allows researchers to develop solutions that solve challenges right here in northern B.C., and then work with colleagues from around the world so their ideas and discoveries can have a global impact. It also allows students from around the world to experience all that UNBC and northern B.C. have to offer as they share their knowledge and perspectives with us.” 

The Research Environment pillar, renamed this year after having been called Research in previous rankings, had been UNBC’s top category since 2018. This year, its overall score increased and UNBC ranked 737th. The category measures the number of papers published per faculty member, UNBC’s research reputation and UNBC’s research income. UNBC also saw its scores increase in the Teaching and Research Quality (formerly Citations) pillars. The Industry pillar is the only one that saw a decrease. 

The audited rankings include 18 metrics, divided into the five pillars: Teaching (the learning environment); Research Environment (volume, income and reputation); Research Quality (research influence); International Outlook (staff, students and research); and Industry (knowledge transfer).