Ranking: Jagiellonian University and the University of Warsaw are the best universities in Poland

This year’s 16th edition of the ranking - prepared by Perspektywy Education Foundation - included 87 academic institutions with the right to confer doctor’s degree, 70 non-public master\'s universities, and 30 state higher vocational schools.

The best two Polish universities - University of Warsaw and Jagiellonian University - reached 100 percent ranking index. "The ranking is the indicator of quality in the life of our universities. Observing the competition between the rectors of the University of Warsaw and Jagiellonian University is very exciting" - said Deputy Minister of Science Daria Lipińska-Nałęcz during the ceremony of awarding the best universities, which took place last Tuesday in Warsaw.

Rector of the Jagiellonian University Prof. Wojciech Nowak assured that the rivalry between the two top universities is beneficial to each of them. "The worst thing would be if one leader stood out and believed they were the best in every aspect of activity. We do not believe that. If we carefully analyse the ranking criteria, there are some things on which we - universities do not have any influence. We will never win in innovation, because we are not a technical university, and neither is the University of Warsaw" - Prof. Nowak told reporters.

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, third in the ranking, scored 86.6 percent. In fourth place in the ranking of academic institutions were, also tied: Warsaw University of Technology and Wroclaw University of Technology, with a score of 82.8 percent. The following places in the top ten were taken by AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, University of Wroclaw, Warsaw Medical University, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the Medical University of Gdańsk.

In the ranking of non-public master\'s universities the winner was the Kozminski University in Warsaw, with 100 percent score. Second place went to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the third Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw. In the top five also were: Łazarski University in Warsaw and the Vistula University.

Best among the State Higher Vocational Schools was the President Stanislaw Wojciechowski Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz.

In the category of best medical schools in the first three places went to the Jagiellonian University Medical College, Warsaw Medical University, Medical University of Gdańsk.

In the group of economic universities first place went to Warsaw School of Economics; second - Poznań University of Economics; third - Kozminski University in Warsaw.

Warsaw University of Life Sciences won among agricultural colleges. Second place in this category went to the Poznań University of Life Sciences, and third to Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

The best school of physical education was the University School of Physical Education in Wrocław.

The winner among the pedagogical universities was the Pedagogical University of Cracow.

Jury of the ranking also awarded special prizes. Personnel Forge Award 2015 for the university, which reported the most progress in the training of scientific staff went to the National Defence University. The jury also awarded the Promotion 2015 award for the most impressive jump to the group of the best universities in the rankings. In the group of academic institutions it went to the University of Lodz, which moved up six places from 21st to 16th place. In the group of non-public master\'s universities the jury awarded Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, which moved up five places - from 12th to 7th.

The ranking was prepared under the supervision of the jury presided over by former President of the Polish Academy of Sciences - Prof. Michał Kleiber. The members of the jury were, among others, honorary president of the jury and the judge of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg - Prof. Marek Safjan, senator and President of the Polish Accreditation Committee - Prof. Marek Rocki. The ranking was prepared on the basis of six criteria: prestige, scientific potential, scientific effectiveness, educational conditions, internationalisation, innovation.

"At first the ranking did not receive a warm welcome. However, the situation has changed and the current ranking is unique. It is the most comprehensive ranking of this type in the world. It helps improve the quality of our universities" - said on Tuesday president of the ranking jury, Prof. Michał Kleiber.

According to Prof. Nowak, the ranking shows that it is high time for a genuinely big changes in higher education. "I am thinking about the creation of large research centres cooperating with each other. In a country with the population of 38 million, having more than 400 higher education institutions during democratic decline is absurd. If we do not do that, we will waste lose a lot of time" - said the rector of the Jagiellonian University.

Full ranking results are available at: www.ranking.perspektywy.pl

Polish Press Agency and PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland are among the media sponsors of the ranking.

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