The capital, which has been leading in terms of student achievements and educational indicators for many years, has been ousted from first place - Kaunas has topped this year's municipal ranking.
This was announced on Wednesday by the magazine "Reitingai", which annually compiles a table of educational institutions, presenting this year's latest rankings of educational institutions.
"By presenting the rankings every year, we are trying to show the misunderstandings in our education system, which are not decreasing, but rather increasing," Gintaras Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of "Ratings", said at a press conference.
Vilnius has fallen from first place to second place in the municipal ranking based on student achievement and education indicators this year. Marijampolė is in third place, Šiauliai is in fourth, and Palanga is in fifth.
Castling at the top
Among gymnasiums that have the right to select students, Vilnius Lyceum is leading the ranking table, as it was last year. However, the Kaunas University of Technology gymnasium, which has been unmoved for more than a quarter of a century, was pushed out of second place by Vilnius Jesuit Gymnasium, which was in fourth place last year. The KTU gymnasium fell from second to third.
M. Biržiška Gymnasium moved up to fourth place, while the Gymnasium of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, which was in third place last year, dropped to fifth place.
Klaipėda Lyceum continues to lead among schools that do not select students, while Šiauliai Julius Janonis Gymnasium, which was not in the top five at all last year, rose to second place. In the near future, "Rankings" plans to move this gymnasium to selective gymnasiums, as it has regained the right to select students. Kaunas "Saulės" Gymnasium rose to third position, and the private Vilnius "Saulės" Gymnasium took fourth place. Panevėžys Juozas Balčikonis Gymnasium fell from second to fifth place.
The rankings of high schools are based on the average results of last year's state matriculation exams, with the importance of each exam differentiated according to their importance in admission to higher education institutions and the number of graduates taking them.
The averages of the Lithuanian language and literature and mathematics state matriculation exams were taken into account the most, and the averages of the English language exam, history and biology state matriculation exams were taken into account to a slightly lesser extent.
It was also assessed how many graduates from each gymnasium entered state-funded study places at Lithuanian higher education institutions, how many students from each gymnasium went to study at foreign universities - this data was provided to "Rankings" by the gymnasiums themselves. In total, 27 thousand 242 young people graduated from gymnasiums last year. Gymnasiums reported that 825 graduates chose to study abroad, but the real number of those who left may be significantly higher.
Vilnius and Kaunas are leading the rankings in terms of student achievement in primary schools and junior high schools. As for secondary schools, according to "Rankings", the primary schools of Plungė, Visaginas, Lazdijai, Prienai, Kėdainiai, Klaipėda and Kaunas districts manage to maintain a truly high level.
University leaders remain unchanged
The top three places in the ranking of the top five universities remain unchanged: in first place are: Vilnius University, in second place – Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), in third place – Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). The latter lost 1,09 points to the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences this year.
"For the third year in a row, the fiercest competition between universities has been for second and third places. And this is good news for applicants, as it shows the efforts of university administrations to achieve quality in various aspects," the "Rankings" report states.
In fourth place is Beautiful Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) operates in the fifth, and Vilnius Tech, located in the capital, is in the fifth.
ISM University of Management and Economics continues to maintain its leadership among private universities.
Among the colleges, Vilnius – in first place – and Kaunas – in second place – are the leaders, as last year. The Lithuanian Engineering College, which was formed by merging the Kaunas Forest and Environmental Engineering College with the Kaunas Technical College, is in third place. Klaipėda State College is in fourth place, and the Lithuanian Maritime Academy is in fifth place.
According to "Rankings", the top three private colleges have adjusted significantly - this happened largely due to the new requirements for academic activities introduced for state colleges. St. Ignatius Loyola College moved up from second to first place, Lithuanian Business College moved up one position to second, and SMK Aukštoji Mokykla is in third place.
Salary scissors – significantly different
Employment Service data shows that in recent years, university graduates have been finding employment fairly evenly, but their salary ranges 18 months after graduation vary significantly.
According to the data of "Rankings", in 2023, 18 months after the first cycle of bachelor's and integrated studies and the second cycle of master's, residency and professional studies, LSMU alumni stand out with the highest salaries: they receive a salary of 3383 euros and 5238 euros, respectively. After the third cycle of doctoral studies, Klaipėda University alumni earn the best - 7898 euros.
When it comes to private universities, ISM graduates earn the best after their first and third cycle studies: 2579 euros and 6234 euros, while after their second cycle, alumni of the Białystok University Branch (BUF) in Vilnius earn 8644 euros.
According to "Rankings", Lithuanian universities were evaluated according to 42 different parameters, which are grouped into five criteria: the greatest attention was paid to the added value created by university alumni and the opinion of employers, as well as their scientific, artistic or sports activities and the added value created for the country's economy.
Less attention was paid to student and study indicators, competition in the international study space, and the current and future academic staff of universities.
Author Karina Vladičkė
