ISC World University Ranking: Its correlation with Leiden, Nature Index, Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)

The present study intended to examine ISC World University Ranking (ISC WUR) as an emerging ranking system. It draws on a descriptive-correlational method. First, the internal correlation held between the criteria of the ISC WUR was examined to clarify the representation of the total university score from each of its functional criteria in the ISC WUR system. Afterwards, the study assessed the extent to which the ISC WUR results diverge or converge at the general level and examined the similarities and differences between ISC WUR criteria and indicators results and those of Leiden, Nature Index, THE, and QS as complicated university rankings. The research sample included the universities ranked via the five global ranking systems in 2020. All ISC WUR’s indicators revealed significant and positive correlations with the total ranking scores of the universities. There was a significantly positive correlation between the ISC WUR and those of Leiden, Nature Index, THE, and QS.Moreover, the indicators similarly present in ISC WUR and other ranking systems were significantly and positively correlated. In conclusion, the overall performance of each university in ISC WUR reflects all the functional criteria of that university, especially the criteria of research and international activities. Besides, although the ICS WUR and the other systems have differences and similarities in methodology, the results obtained from these systems are similar to a certain extent. Nevertheless, these similarities are not strong enough to claim that the ISC WUR presents the same results as other ranking systems.