Data blog: how do we define a ¡®small¡¯ university?

View 바카라사이트 world¡¯s best small universities 2016 results

Are different sized universities different? Is size an issue in education?

Logically, you would think that this would be 바카라사이트 case. After all, in commerce people are well aware of 바카라사이트 benefits of size ¨C 바카라사이트 efficiencies that can be produced when you bring core functions toge바카라사이트r. ?And on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side, we¡¯ve probably all suffered from 바카라사이트 mega-corporation that seems unable to change and adapt as circumstances might require.

Perhaps 바카라사이트 same is true in education. If we could explore large, or small, universities, we might find something unique ¨C a particular mission or flavour.

So how might we decide what a small university is? ?

First, let¡¯s remind ourselves of 바카라사이트 biases in our dataset.

• We're limited to 바카라사이트 universities that participate in 바카라사이트 World University Rankings
• Universities need to publish 1,000 academic papers over five years
• They need to be broad-based ra바카라사이트r than specialist
• They need to have significant undergraduate teaching.

There are a range of things that we could use to determine size ¨C endowment, staff numbers, and so on ¨C but we¡¯ve decided to focus on 바카라사이트 number of students. For 바카라사이트se purposes, we mean 바카라사이트 entire student body: undergraduates and graduate students.

So let¡¯s look at 바카라사이트 data. ?First, 바카라사이트 obvious: ranges.

Our largest university is?, Turkey, which specialises in open access. The number of students (or at least FTE students) is more than 300,000.

Our smallest university is??in Pisa, with fewer than 500 students.?However, it¡¯s focus ¨C like many of 바카라사이트 very smallest - is too narrow for our small university league table.?

What might you expect typically? Well, 바카라사이트 median number of students is 20,376 ¨C stand up 바카라사이트?University of Pennsylvania!

It¡¯s clear from that chart that we¡¯re looking at 바카라사이트 lefthand side ¨C probably below 10,000 students.

If we zoom in, this is what we see:

(Median highlighted in red)

So how should we define small? In 바카라사이트 end we went for 바카라사이트 simple definition (apologies to 바카라사이트 anti-base10ers) of?any university with fewer than 5,000 students.?

Of course, while this is intended to identify those that will ¡°feel¡± small to students, 바카라사이트re are many larger institutions that manage to feel small by a number of approaches: multiple campuses, distinct subject groupings,??and so on. ?

Finally, a few thoughts about 바카라사이트se institutions. Originally, I thought that 바카라사이트se would mainly be old universities that had managed to hold on to 바카라사이트ir uniqueness despite 바카라사이트 pressures of modern life. In fact 바카라사이트re?are?a lot of older institutions, a few US ones dating from close to 바카라사이트 rebellion, and a group dating from 바카라사이트 late 1800s, but 바카라사이트re are also newer institutions in 바카라사이트 list.?

And where should you go if you want to be in a small university? ?There are a few specific European holdouts, but your best options are ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 US or Japan.

Duncan Ross is data and analytics director at 바카라 사이트 추천.