The newly published Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 includes two universities from the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) and debutant Near East University (NEU).
The two universities are listed under “Northern Cyprus”, while three institutions in the South of the island are tabled as “Cyprus”. According to The Times World University Rankings (WUR), EMU is the second highest ranked university in Cyprus.
The University of Cyprus, in the South, is the island’s highest ranked institution appearing in the 401-500 band, followed by EMU in the 501-600 band, then Cyprus University of Technology, the University of Nicosia, and NEU.
The TRNC’s Ada Kent University, made it on to this year’s The Times’ Impact Rankings, confirming it is an institution worthy of international merit even if it’s not quite ready to be listed among the world’s best universities.
EMU second highest ranked university in Cyprus and Turkey
Listed since 2017, EMU has leapt 300 places in the 2022 rankings. Located in Mağusa/Famagusta, on the island’s East, North Cyprus’s oldest university is listed higher than many prestigious Turkish universities, including Koç, Bilkent, Istanbul Technical, and Middle East Technical universities. Only Turkey’s Çankaya University ranked higher than EMU, appearing in the 401-500 band.
Still a relatively young institution, EMU first opened its doors to students in 1979. Today, it educates over 16,000 full time students on its campus, 78% of whom are international and originating for 108 different countries. The state-owned university has a ratio of 28.5 students for every teacher, and a 42:58 male to female student ratio.
In a statement from EMU Rector Prof. Aykut Hocanın, the university’s “significant rise” in the world table of leading universities was described as “a source of great pride for the entire TRNC”.
“EMU’s place in the 501-600 band in the 2022 rankings and this significant rise across the world is an indication that we are on the right track, and is also a source of great pride for the entire TRNC.
“As a university, we play an important role in education, research and community service. EMU is one of the most important institutions in the field of higher education and proves this with its accreditations as well as its academic, scientific and social achievements. I would like to thank all the EMU Family who contributed to this success. We will continue to work with all our strength for the rapid rise and growth of our university,” Rector Hocanın added.
What World University Rankings 2022 says about EMU
“The Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) based on the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus started off in 1979 as an institute of technology in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) with the purpose of educating and establishing human resources.
“EMU has now broadened its programs to over 100 undergraduate programs, 80 postgraduate programs with over 60,000 graduates and currently providing education and research support to nearly 20,000 students from 108 different countries on its campus.
“The medium of conduct is English and Turkish, with a majority of the programs available in the English language. Degree and double major opportunities may be acquired in one of our 12 Faculties ( Architecture, Arts & Sciences, Business & Economics, Communication and Media Studies, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Tourism) and 5 schools (Computing and Technology, Health Services, Justice, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School).
“Giving special importance to internationalization and globalization, EMU has received the accreditation of various prominent international accrediting bodies, collaboration with world-class universities like Bologna University and the University of Warwick, and exchange agreements with 37 institutions across 20 countries. Also, EMU organizes a number of social and cultural activities, holds an annual week-long Spring Festival and encourages the existence of student societies for each of the nationalities to practice their culture.”
North Cyprus’s largest university NEU makes its WUR debut
Nestled between India’s National Institute of Technology Silchar and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NEU made its debut appearance in the 801-1000 band on the World University Rankings.
The Lefkoşa / North Nicosia based university has 20,147 full time students, with 18.7 students for every teacher, notes the university’s entry on the WUR.
There is a 44:56 male to female student ratio, while international students make-up 86% of NEU’s total student population.
What World University Rankings 2022 says about NEU
“Established in 1988, the university is the largest in Northern Cyprus, boasting more than 26,000 students and 1,200 academic staff.
“Near East University has a strong international student community, too – more than 100 nationalities are said to be enrolled on courses at any one time.
“It has 20 faculties comprising 220 departments, as well as four vocational training centres, eight graduate schools, 28 research institutes and three associated high schools. Subjects are wide ranging and include arts, sciences, law, medicine, fine art and design and veterinary medicine.
“The university’s medical faculty was opened in 2008, with an adjacent teaching hospital finished in 2009. The hospital is also home to a number of state-of-the-art research centres and has received a number of awards since its opening.
“Students here enjoy a rich social life: the university campus is a short distance from Nicosia city centre, and easily reachable by bus. On site, a 700-seat auditorium hosts congresses, concerts, shows and the annual international Cyprus Theatre Festival.
“Performance and creative arts are an important part of university life, and the campus is home to three additional theatres, a university radio station, a television studio, as well as three museums dedicated to communications, art and classic cars.
“Also on campus is a 15,000 square metre library known as Grand Library, accessible to students 24 hours a day.
“Students are encouraged to take part in sports clubs and teams – a big part of the Cypriot culture. Near East University is known for its synchronised swimming team, which takes part in national and international competitions. The university is also home to an Olympic-sized swimming pool – the only one in Cyprus – as well as a health and wellness centre.
“Near East University scored in the top 200 universities for quality education in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for 2020.”
About The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022
Launched in 2004, Times Higher Education World University Rankings takes the top institutions in the world, and looks at their performance across a range of core objectives.
This year’s World University Rankings includes more than 1,600 universities across 99 countries and territories, which makes them “the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.”
Each year, the list is pored over by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, seeking to learn more about how well a particular university is doing.
The prestigious table of higher education establishments is compiled using 13 “carefully calibrated” performance indicators. These measure an institution’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
The Times said its rankings this year involved analysing “more than 108 million citations across over 14.4 million research publications and included survey responses from almost 22,000 scholars globally.” They collected “over 430,000 datapoints from more than 2,100 institutions that submitted data.”
Britain’s Oxford University tops the ranking for the sixth consecutive year, while mainland China has two institutions in the top 20 for the first time: Peking University and Tsinghua University share 16th place.
Institut Polytechnique de Paris is the highest new entry at 95th place, following a merger of five institutions.
The US is the most-represented country overall with 183 institutions, and also the most represented in the top 200 (57), although its share of universities in this elite group is falling.
Mainland China now has the joint fifth highest number of institutions in the top 200 (up from joint seventh last year), overtaking Canada and on a par with the Netherlands.
Six new countries feature in the table compared with last year: Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Palestine and Tanzania.
Harvard University tops the teaching pillar, while the University of Oxford tops the research pillar and Macau University of Science and Technology leads the international pillar.
Overall, 1,662 universities are ranked. A further 452 universities are listed with “reporter” status, including ADA Kent University, meaning that they provided data but did not meet the eligibility criteria to receive a rank.
