The National Quality Assurance Agency for Education has published the proposed amendments to the regulations governing the national rankings for public consideration.

Under the draft, funds allocated to universities would be transferred to their treasury accounts within 15 working days of the publication of the final ranking results. Institutions would be free to decide how to spend the money.

How the ranking would work

The agency would collect information from government bodies and international sources, assess data submitted by universities and identify shortcomings in the higher education system.

Universities would upload data for the reporting year to a dedicated online platform. The agency would verify the submissions and help institutions address issues that could affect their rankings.

Universities would also be able to contact the agency if they encountered problems during the assessment process. The draft sets November 1 as the annual deadline for finalizing the rankings. The findings would then be used to develop measures to improve the performance of educational institutions.

The proposed criteria cover several areas. All universities could receive up to five points for their reputation among employers. The Graduate Quality Index would carry different weightings depending on an institution’s field of study: 20 points for applied sciences and medicine, 25 for social sciences and humanities, and 40 for economics and sports.

Digitalization of teaching and university management would account for up to five points across all categories. Academic performance could earn up to 30 points, while the ratio of teaching staff to students would account for up to five points.

Some indicators would be calculated using survey results, while the Graduate Quality Index would be based on relevant employment and other outcome data.

Which universities would qualify?

The national ranking would cover higher education institutions that have been operating for at least three years and have graduated students with bachelor’s degrees. Higher military and paramilitary educational institutions would be excluded.

Uzbek universities listed among the top 1,000 institutions in relevant international rankings would be assessed separately under the proposal.