For the eleventh time, the magazine "Reitingai" presents the institutional ranking of universities and colleges. For the seventh year in a row VDK college tops the chart of private higher education instituions in the field of applied science.
Top 5 Best State Universities:
Private Universities Rankings:
"Reitingai" evaluated all Lithuanian universities based on 35 parameters. These parameters were grouped into five major criteria categories: alumni's added value and employers' opinions (35 points), science, art, and/or sports activities (25 points), study level and students (25 points), university internationalization (10 points), and current and future academic staff (5 points). In total, universities could score a maximum of 100 points.
Among state universities ranking second to fifth, according to the creators of "Reitingai," there is fierce competition, with these universities putting significant effort into various evaluated areas. This benefits both applicants and students, say the creators.
In terms of alumni-created added value and employers' evaluations, the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences ranks first among state universities.
"It is important to highlight that the employability of many universities' alumni significantly improved nine months after graduation. For most universities' 2023 graduates, less than one percent were unemployed nine months after graduation," emphasize the magazine's authors.
The highest average salary is earned by LSMU alumni, with €3,520, while among private universities, ISM alumni earn €3,464.
In assessing universities' academic performance, "Reitingai" relied on the results of the formal 2022 evaluation of Lithuanian universities' scientific activities by the Lithuanian Research Council (LMT).
"Traditionally, we also assessed how many of each university's academic staff members, currently teaching at the university, received national art or science awards in the past year. Vilnius University stands out most in terms of academic performance," say "Reitingai."
In terms of students and studies, the leading universities are the two specialized higher education institutions: the Academy of Arts and the Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy.
In the internationalization ranking, VILNIUS TECH ranks first, and LSU ranks second.
In the academic staff ranking, VU and VDU stand out.
COLLEGE RANKINGS
Top 5 Best State Colleges: 1-2. Vilnius College 1-2. Kaunas College 3. Kaunas Technical College 4. Vilnius College of Technology and Design 5. Lithuanian Maritime Academy
Top Private Colleges:
The evaluation criteria are similar to those for universities. A major innovation in the college rankings is the inclusion of alumni's average salaries after several years.
According to the Employment Service's data, only a few graduates of 2023's college cohort were unemployed within 9 months (by February 1, 2024) after graduation, and this was the case in only nine colleges.
As usual, on behalf of "Reitingai," the sociological research company "Prime Consulting" conducted a survey of employers from all ten Lithuanian counties. A total of 1,011 respondents were surveyed. They rated Vilnius College, KTK, and LAJM graduates the highest, while among private colleges, the highest-rated graduates were from Vilnius Business College (VVK), Lithuanian Business College, and Vilnius Design College.
The survey also assessed how many of the top-performing high school graduates, those who scored between 86 and 100 in state exams, chose a particular college. The highest percentage, 28.9%, of the best graduates among all accepted applicants became first-year students at the reforming VTDK, 22.3% chose Vilnius College, and among private colleges, 34% of the best graduates chose Vilnius Design College.
The internationalization criterion was also assessed. According to it, LAJM ranks first, Klaipėda State College ranks second, and Alytus College ranks third. Among private colleges, Lithuanian Business College and Vilnius Design College are the top performers.