Ratings affirm postgraduate institute's top international standing
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand has been awarded top five-star ratings in three (3) categories – internationalization, teaching and facilities – by Quacquarelli Symonds, known as QS, one of the world’s leading higher education evaluation agencies. The QS Stars™ rating program is an independent rating system for many of the world’s
best universities.
As an international postgraduate institute, but not a full-fledged university and not affiliated with a particular country, AIT has always been excluded from major world university rankings. For the first time AIT participated in the QS Stars™ rating program, which was recently introduced as a new complementary companion to the annual QS university
ranking.
AIT was assessed across a variety of criteria based on its 2013 data, and received an overall score of four stars out of five in January 2015. “This is a great achievement considering that AIT is a small institution,” QS said, in its final report. According to QS, a typical four-star university is highly international, and demonstrates excellence in both research and teaching.
AIT attained a near perfect score in the three categories that received 5 QS Stars. AIT received the top score in internationalization, which reflected the postgraduate institute’s international faculty, staff, and students, its global research collaborations, and diversity and support systems.
Teaching of AIT received the maximum score as a result of overall student satisfaction. AIT facilities also earned top marks from QS because of its provision of sporting facilities, medical facilities, student accommodation, IT infrastructure and library facilities.
Commenting on the result, AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai said: “Long before university rankings were started, AIT had always been at the forefront of postgraduate excellence. The QS Stars result strengthens our belief that even though AIT is a comparatively small postgraduate institute, its niche programs in engineering, technology, environment, resources and development and management are well recognized for their cutting edge approach and relevance to Asia. We are extremely proud of our true internationality, and the fact that over 70 percent of our students hail from outside of Thailand, and as far away as Europe, Africa, and North and South America.”
AIT was founded in 1959 by SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) and is hosted by Thailand. Over the past 55 years, it has produced more than 21,000 postgraduate alumni working in more than 90 countries around the world. Many AIT graduates have assumed influential positions in the public and private sectors, including the newly appointed Prime
Minister of Taiwan.
The Stars of AIT
AIT received 5-Stars in 3 categories:
- Teaching
- Internationalization
- Facilities
AIT received 4-Stars in 2 categories:
- Employability
- Research
AIT received full scores for:
- Student completion/satisfaction (Teaching)
- Faculty with PhD (Teaching)
- Academic reputation (Research)
- Papers per faculty (Research)
- International research collaboration (Internationalization)
- International faculty (Internationalization)
- International students (Internationalization)
- Inbound exchange students (Internationalization)
- Religious facilities (Internationalization)
- International diversity (Internationalization)
- Student accommodation (Facilities)
- IT infrastructure (Facilities)
