LONDON, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --



Top 250 published on www.topuniversities.com

Universidad de Sao Paolo cements its position as the continent's premier university in the annual QS University Rankings: Latin America, topping the table for the second year running.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120528/533559 )

The table demonstrates the dynamism of higher education in the region, with 40% of ranked universities founded within the last 50 years.

Universities in top 250 by country:
Brazil (65), Mexico (46), Colombia (34), Chile (30), Argentina (26), Peru (10), Ecuador (6), Venezuela (6), Cuba (5),  Uruguay (4), Costa Rica (3), Paraguay (3),  Panama (2)  Guatemala (1) Nicaragua(1),Puerto Rico (1) 

   
    2012    2011    Institution                                           Country
    Rank    Rank          
    1      1      Universidade de São Paulo                             BR
    2      2      Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile              CL
    3      3      Universidade Estadual de Campinas                     BR
    4      4      Universidad de Chile                                  CL
    5      5      Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México               MX
    6      6      Universidad de Los Andes Colombia                     CO
    7      7      Tecnológico de Monterrey                              MX
    8     19      Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro                BR
    9     12      Universidad de Concepción                             CL
    10    21      Universidad de Santiago de Chile                      CL

© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2011- 2012 http://www.topuniversities.com

QS has calculated the continent's 250 best-performing institutions using seven criteria covering research, graduate employability, teaching resources and web presence.

Now in its second year the ranking is notable for its stability, with an unchanged top seven suggesting a well-established hierarchy at the top of the table.

Brazil again dominates, with 65 universities making the top 250.
Yet Chile's tally of four universities in the top ten - two more than last year - provides one of this year's main talking points.

"Chilean universities perform excellently in terms of research output, and have an outstanding reputation among academics and employers," says QS head of research Ben Sowter. "Whereas the top Brazilian universities are producing a greater quantity of published research the work produced at leading Chilean universities is more widely cited, which suggests it has a greater impact."

In a reversal of fortunes, all of the top ten Argentine universities rank lower than in 2011, with Universidad de Buenos Aires (11) dropping out of the top ten. Rising student/faculty ratios and a decline in reputation among employers and academics have seen them overtaken by universities from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Chile.

QS Global Employer Survey is underway for the next editions of the Latin American and the World's rankings. Employers are invited to have their say by signing up at Survey

SOURCE QS Quacquarelli Symonds