University of Nicosia Awarded 5 QS Stars for Overall Excellence
The QS Intelligence Unit recognised the University’s exemplary overall standing, making it the first university in Cyprus and Greece to achieve a 5-Star Institutional Rating
The University of Nicosia (UNIC) has joined an exclusive group of universities to achieve a 5-Star (QS Stars) institutional rating, along with 50 other universities globally. The distinction was awarded following a rigorous assessment by the QS Intelligence Unit, a leading, independent, global university-rating agency, making UNIC the first university in Cyprus and Greece to be recognised in this way.
“The QS Stars ratings […] are a reflection of our University’s strong commitment to excellence and the requisite, dedicated work that goes into everything we do”
QS Stars is a rating system that allows students to obtain an overall view of an academic institution’s qualities, examining all aspects of a university offering, from teaching, to facilities, to internationalisation. The QS Stars audit evaluates institutions against 45 different indicators, and awards them between 1 and 5 Stars over eight broader fields, as well as an overall rating.
In addition to its exemplary overall standing, UNIC also received the highest possible (5-Star) rating in the critical fields of: Teaching, Employability, Internationalisation, Online Learning, Inclusiveness, and Facilities. These results complement the University’s most recent ranking achievements in both the QS World University Rankings (number 106 in the EECA Region) and the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings (number 42 in the world in the core area of Quality Education).
“The QS Stars ratings, both institutionally and across key indicators, are a reflection of our University’s strong commitment to excellence and the requisite, dedicated work that goes into everything we do”, underlined Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, Rector of the University.
He went on to expand upon the various key indicators rated in the 2020 audit, highlighting, among others, the University’s state-of-the-art premises and its innovative e-learning platform. UNIC provides a student-focused learning environment with small class sizes, a wide range of laboratories for hands-on student experience, and innovative teaching methods (including problem-based learning). “As an entrepreneurial, digital university, we respond to, and shape the needs of, the knowledge-based society we live in”, continued Rector Pouyioutas.
“UNIC graduates are making a global impact in a variety of professions, across many sectors”
The Rector stood especially on the University’s pioneering work in Online/Distance Learning, supporting both its own degree programmes, as well as the joint degrees offered in collaboration with other reputable universities. “This includes offering globally unique programmes of study such as the MSc in Digital Currency, the MSc in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication [in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck] and, more recently, the MSc in Data Science”, noted Professor Pouyioutas. In this respect, UNIC was the first university in the EU (and among only 14 universities to date worldwide) to be awarded a 5-Star rating for Online/Distance Learning in 2017, with the QS Intelligence Unit reaffirming this exemplary rating in the 2020 re-audit.
In the all-important Employability category, the Rector underlined that “UNIC graduates are making a global impact in a variety of professions, across many sectors”. Indeed, the alumni statistics are indicative of the high employability of UNIC graduates, both in Cyprus and abroad. “A prime example of this is our Medical School cohorts, who have a 99% placement rate at top hospitals, including Oxford, Harvard, and Mount Sinai”, added Professor Pouyioutas.
The Rector concluded by thanking the University community (the teaching, research, and administrative personnel, as well as the students and alumni), as the driving force behind UNIC’s continued achievements and growing international reputation.
