LONDON, May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Brazilian universities dominate regional ranking

In the NEW QS University Rankings: Latin America Universidade de São Paulo tops the table for the third year running.

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Brazil dominates with 81 institutions in the Top 300.

 44% of the ranked universities are less than fifty years old.

Universities in Top 300:

Brazil (81), Mexico (50), Colombia (42),  Argentina (30), Chile (30), Peru (17), Ecuador (9), Venezuela (8), Cuba (5),  Uruguay (4), Costa Rica (4), Paraguay (3),  Panama (5)  Guatemala (3), Dominican Republic (3) El Salvador (2), Puerto Rico (2), Honduras (1). 

2013 QS University Rankings: Latin America - Top 10

    2013 Rank 2012 Rank Institution                                    Country
    1         1         Universidade de São Paulo (USP)                BR
    2         2         Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile       CL
    3         3         Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp)    BR
    4         6         Universidad de Los Andes Colombia              CO
    5         4         Universidad de Chile                           CL
    6         5         Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) MX
    7         7         Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM)               MX
    8         8         Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro         BR
    9         12        Universidad Nacional de Colombia               CO
    10        13        Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais           BR

Source: © QS Quacquarelli Symonds http://www.topuniversities.com

Nunzio Quacquarelli, Managing Director of QS says "Whilst Brazil dominates at a regional level, in a global context only 12 Brazilian universities are ranked in the QS World University Rankings. Among BRIC countries, this is less than China's 23 universities and Russia's 14, but is more than India's 11."

Ben Sowter, head of research at QS adds "While the QS University Rankings: Latin America highlights regional excellence both in leading countries and emerging ones, Latin American universities are still underperforming in the global rankings. There isn't any Latin American university in the Top 50 for the scientific and technological tables in the 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subjects, which features the Top 200 universities in 30 disciplines. Despite few notable exceptions, most of the universities in the region are underfunded and competing on a global scale requires significant investments."

Sowter concludes: "While there is scope for improving the global competitiveness of higher education and the impact of the research output, positive changes have happened since the new millennium and the future is paved with exciting opportunities for the most dynamic countries in the region."

QS University Rankings: Latin America is based on seven criteria covering research, graduate employability, teaching resources and web presence. The full results and methodology is available on TopUniversities.com

SOURCE QS Quacquarelli Symonds