BRICS Nations to Explore New University Ranking System
BRICS countries have backed further exploration of a new BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System, potentially creating an alternative framework for comparing universities across some of the world's largest emerging economies. The proposal forms part of a wider education agenda covering academic collaboration, artificial intelligence, qualification recognition, student mobility, skill development and institutional partnerships.
The idea gained renewed attention at the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where leaders encouraged further discussion on the development of a university ranking and evaluation system tailored to the increasingly diverse higher-education landscape represented by BRICS members.
The proposal is still an exploration rather than a completed ranking table. No final methodology, launch date or list of ranked universities has yet been established through the summit statement.
What Is the Proposed BRICS University Ranking System?
The proposed framework has been described as the BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System.
BRICS leaders encouraged further exploration of its development as part of cooperation in education.
The word exploration is important.
The countries have not simply announced a finished ranking that will immediately replace QS, Times Higher Education or other existing systems.
The next stage would require discussion about methodology, data, indicators, governance and participation.
Why Are BRICS Countries Discussing a New Ranking?
Global university rankings influence how institutions are perceived by students, governments, researchers and international partners.
However, ranking systems have also faced criticism over the criteria they use and the different weights assigned to research, citations, reputation, internationalization, teaching and other indicators.
Universities operating in different economic and social environments may have missions that are not always reflected equally in one global methodology.
A BRICS framework could potentially examine whether additional indicators are needed to reflect the priorities of emerging and developing economies.
BRICS Is Much Larger Than Its Original Five Members
BRICS originally referred to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The grouping has since expanded.
That expansion makes higher-education cooperation more complex but also potentially more influential.
Member countries collectively represent enormous student populations, major research systems and rapidly developing universities.
A ranking framework built around this group could therefore attract significant international attention if implemented successfully.
Ranking Methodology Will Be the Biggest Challenge
Creating a university ranking is not simply a matter of putting institutions into a numbered list.
The designers must first decide what makes a university "better."
Possible indicators could include:
- Research output
- Research impact
- Teaching quality
- Student outcomes
- Innovation
- Patents
- Industry collaboration
- Social impact
- International collaboration
- Accessibility
- Graduate employability
- Sustainable development
Changing the weight of any one indicator can significantly change the final ranking.
Research Citations Often Favor Certain Institutions
Research citations are widely used in global ranking systems because they provide a measurable indicator of academic influence.
But citation practices differ dramatically between disciplines.
A biomedical research paper may receive hundreds or thousands of citations, while an important humanities monograph may accumulate citations much more slowly.
A ranking methodology must account for these disciplinary differences.
Teaching Quality Is Difficult to Measure
Universities exist partly to educate students, yet teaching quality is one of the hardest things to compare internationally.
Student-faculty ratios provide only a partial picture.
A small class is not automatically a good class.
Student surveys can provide useful information but may be influenced by cultural expectations.
Graduate outcomes also depend on local labor markets.
Any BRICS ranking would need to decide how teaching should be evaluated fairly across very different education systems.
Could Social Impact Become a Bigger Factor?
Universities in emerging economies often have major responsibilities beyond research publication.
They may contribute to:
- Regional development
- Agriculture
- Public healthcare
- Teacher training
- Local-language education
- Community innovation
- Affordable technology
A BRICS ranking could potentially give greater visibility to these contributions if member countries agree that social and developmental impact deserves more weight.
Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge Also Enters the Discussion
BRICS leaders supported India's initiative to strengthen academic collaboration around traditional, indigenous and local knowledge systems.
The BRICS Network University has been encouraged to consider whether these areas could become an additional International Thematic Group under its established procedures.
This is significant because conventional global university metrics typically focus heavily on research publications, citations and international reputation.
A wider framework could potentially recognize different forms of knowledge production.
AI in Education Is Another BRICS Priority
The 2026 education discussion extended beyond rankings.
BRICS leaders also encouraged cooperation on the safe, ethical and human-centred use of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence in education.
AI is rapidly entering:
- Personalized learning
- Assessment
- Translation
- Academic research
- Administration
- Student support
However, education systems also need policies dealing with privacy, bias, cheating, transparency and teacher oversight.
Human-Centred AI Is a Key Phrase
Using AI in education is different from allowing algorithms to control education.
A human-centred approach suggests that technology should support students and teachers rather than replace human judgement entirely.
This distinction is particularly important in high-stakes decisions such as admissions, grading and academic progression.
Mutual Recognition of Qualifications Could Help Students
BRICS leaders have also encouraged cooperation around mutual recognition of qualifications.
This could become important for students who earn degrees in one member country and want to continue education or employment in another.
Qualification recognition can be complicated because programs differ in duration, curriculum and regulatory standards.
Stronger cooperation could eventually make academic mobility easier.
Student and Academic Mobility Is Another Priority
A stronger BRICS university network could create more opportunities for:
- Student exchanges
- Faculty exchanges
- Joint research
- Joint degree programs
- Scholarships
- Shared laboratories
- International conferences
A ranking system could potentially help students understand universities across member countries, although it should not become the only factor in choosing where to study.
BRICS Network University Provides an Existing Platform
The BRICS Network University already provides a mechanism for institutional cooperation.
Rather than beginning from zero, member countries can use existing academic relationships to test new forms of collaboration.
The ranking discussion therefore sits within a broader framework of university cooperation rather than existing as an isolated idea.
How Would a BRICS Ranking Differ From QS or THE?
That cannot yet be answered definitively because the methodology has not been finalized.
If developed, the new system could choose indicators or weights that differ from existing global rankings.
For example, it might give greater importance to developmental impact, accessibility, indigenous knowledge, regional engagement or South-South research cooperation.
But until an official methodology is published, claims about how institutions would perform are speculation.
India Already Has NIRF
India operates its own National Institutional Ranking Framework.
NIRF ranks institutions across multiple categories and subject areas using indicators designed for the Indian higher-education environment.
A BRICS ranking would have a different purpose because it would need to compare institutions across multiple national systems.
India's experience with NIRF could nevertheless provide useful methodological lessons.
One Ranking Cannot Answer Every Student Question
Students often treat university rankings as definitive league tables.
That can be misleading.
A university ranked highly overall may not necessarily have the strongest department in the subject a particular student wants to study.
A student should consider:
- Program quality
- Faculty expertise
- Fees
- Scholarships
- Research opportunities
- Campus location
- Employment outcomes
- Accreditation
Data Quality Will Determine Credibility
A ranking is only as reliable as its data.
If universities report information differently, comparison becomes difficult.
Independent verification, standardized definitions and transparent data collection will therefore be essential.
For example, every country would need a common definition of measures such as faculty strength, research income or graduate employment.
Transparency Will Be Critical
A credible ranking should explain how scores are calculated.
Universities should be able to understand why they received a particular score.
Students should also be able to see the difference between measured data and reputation surveys.
If methodology is opaque, the ranking risks becoming another branding exercise rather than a useful academic tool.
Universities Can Game Rankings
Ranking systems create incentives.
If a particular metric carries substantial weight, institutions may reorganize behavior specifically to improve that number.
This is sometimes called ranking optimization or gaming.
A well-designed BRICS framework would need safeguards to ensure universities improve actual quality rather than merely improve statistics.
Language Diversity Presents Another Challenge
Research impact systems can favor publications indexed in major international databases, many of which are dominated by English-language journals.
BRICS countries produce substantial academic work in national and regional languages.
A new ranking could face the challenge of deciding how to value that scholarship fairly.
A New Ranking Could Increase Visibility for Emerging Universities
Many strong institutions in developing economies receive less international visibility than older universities in North America and Europe.
A new ranking framework could potentially highlight universities making significant contributions within their regions.
However, simply creating a new ranking will not automatically improve institutional quality.
Universities still need strong research, teaching and governance.
Academic Cooperation May Be More Important Than the Ranking Itself
The ranking proposal attracts attention because league tables are easy to understand.
But the larger BRICS education agenda may prove more consequential.
Research partnerships, qualification recognition, scholarships and student exchanges can produce direct benefits even if the ranking system takes years to develop.
Skills and Industry Linkages Are Also on the Agenda
BRICS leaders have emphasized stronger skill-development systems and links between technical and vocational education institutions and industry.
This reflects a broader concern that higher education must respond to changing labor-market demands.
Universities cannot be evaluated only on publications if graduates struggle to translate education into employment or innovation.
What Happens Next?
The 2026 summit language calls for further exploration.
The next stages could involve expert groups, university leaders, education ministries and technical specialists discussing:
- Ranking indicators
- Data standards
- Weighting systems
- Governance
- Audit mechanisms
- Publication frequency
Until those details are finalized, there is no official BRICS global university ranking table for students to use.
Could the System Become Globally Influential?
Potentially, but credibility must be earned.
A ranking backed by major countries could attract attention, but universities and students will use it only if they trust the methodology.
Political sponsorship alone cannot make a ranking academically credible.
Transparent data, independent methodology and consistent application will be essential.
Final Takeaway
BRICS leaders have encouraged further exploration of a BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System as part of a wider push to strengthen cooperation in higher education.
The proposal sits alongside initiatives involving AI in education, traditional and indigenous knowledge, qualification recognition, student mobility, skills and institutional collaboration.
The ranking itself is still at the exploration stage, so there is currently no final methodology or official league table.
If BRICS countries eventually develop a transparent and credible framework capable of reflecting the diverse missions of universities across emerging economies, it could add a significant new voice to the global debate over how higher-education quality should be measured.
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