Brazil has increased the number of universities in Times Higher Education (THE) ranking, enabling it to rise from ninth to the seventh country with the largest number of universities on the list, ahead of countries such as Chile, Italy and Spain.

Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP) is in the group of 1001+, which represents a significant event, since in the previous year the University was not included in the classification. All 11 new Brazilian institutions that joined this year's Times Higher Education ranking were ranked in the same range - the ranking is published in groups of 200.

The evaluation criteria addopted were performance indicators such as: teaching, research, quotes, international vision, knowledge transfer and industry income. In this last indicator (industry income), UFOP appears with 36.4 points in the score, an average very close to Unicamp and UnB, for example.

UFOP’s International Affairs Officer, Jaqueline Pinheiro Schultz, points out the importance of Brazil’s participation growth in THE ranking and of UFOP’s participation in this new group of institutions. However, for her, the University needs to improve data submission, which has its own complexities and peculiarities in international rankings, different from the aspects and items evaluated in national rankings. Part of the information for THE ranking is sent by the institutions themselves. "We've been improving over the years, trying to understand data systematization and its complexities."

In this edition of THE ranking, 1,396 universities from 92 countries were evaluated. Brazilian representation in this ranking increased to 46, compared to 35 last year. The numbers entered in the systematization of data are from 2017, although they were sent in early 2019. It means that it is not possible to see the reflection of the cuts made by the Ministry of Education this year yet.

UFOP’s Rector, Professor Cláudia Marliére, warns that "this growth is at risk due to the contingencies and budget blockages we have faced in recent years, as well as the reduction of our projected budget to 2020 by about 40%. The precariousness of services, which compromises our actions in research, extension and teaching, is already present and may influence future evaluations. We cannot let that happen". Recognizing the merit of being among the 11 Brazilian universities that joined the ranking of the best in the world, she points out that "the commitment of our communities is making effect. Brazilian public universities are showing strength, even in the adverse atmosphere we are facing today. We know that the data presented refer to information provided in 2017, and our hope is to continue improving our indicators".

Source: UFOP's website