The Times Higher Education (THE), the most respected higher education ranking agency in the world, has given The University of the West Indies (The UWI) the excellent ranking of 4th out of 129 best universities in the Latin America and Caribbean region for its international agenda. THE’s World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
 
On July 18, 2018, the 70-year-old, Caribbean-based University made its debut in the independent, UK-based ranking publication, representing the tangible results of strategic management decisions effected over the span of the last two years.
The UWI’s international outlook performance score in THE’s rankings is demonstrable ofthe efforts of The UWI’s globalisation thrust, framed within its Triple A Strategy (Strategic Plan 2017-2022). The Triple A pillars of Access, Alignment, and Agility are consistent with the world’s most influential university ranking’s assessment criteria.
Since 2016, The UWI has been preparing itself for this type of hemispheric ranking as it has been strategically focussed on leveraging its reputational excellence to expand its global presence.The UWI has since established partnering centres with sister universities in North America, Asia, and Africa, such as, the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development, the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, who was elated on receiving this news, said: “This validates our strategy of enhancing our regional and global reputation, including the decision to establish an Office of Global Affairs to guide The UWI towards deepening its regional engagement and expanding its international partnerships and global connections.”
The UWI was also recognised as a very strong performer when it comes to research influence, ranking 26th on the citation impact measure.
 
About Times Higher Education
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, founded in 2004, provide the definitive list of the world's best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, international outlook, reputation and more. THE’s data are trusted by governments and universities and are a vital resource for students, helping them choose where to study. The 2018 Times Higher Education Latin America University Rankings rank 129 universities from 10 countries in Latin America, and are based on the same rigorous criteria as the THE World University Rankings, but with special modifications to better reflect the characteristics of Latin America's universities, as outlined in the methodology here.  It judges world-class universities employing 13 separate performance indicators across all their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. See www.timeshighereducation.com
 
About The UWI
For 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership, and in 2018 it marks its evolution from a university college in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to a respected regional university with near 50,000 students and four campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with sister universities in North America, Asia, and Africa such as the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development, the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies. The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport.  Website: www.uwi.edu. (Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)