"Reitingai" magazine presented the annual rankings of Lithuanian higher education institutions, taking into account how successful universities and colleges are in preparing bachelor's and master's specialists. The greatest attention was paid to the opinion of the employer. It is recognized that the best programs for both bachelor's and master's studies are prepared by the annual ranking leader Vilnius University (VU), and Vilnius College was recognized as the leader of colleges.
Vilnius College is once again announced as the leader in the rankings
The magazine "Reitingai" announces that the first place in the top five state colleges is Vilnius College, which leads in more than a third, i.e. in 18 of all evaluated areas of professional bachelor's studies. The second place goes to Kaunas College, which leads in almost a third, i.e. in 13 of all evaluated areas of professional bachelor's studies. This year, Kaunas Technical College can boast of the third place in the rankings, which leads in the 4 assessed areas of professional bachelor's studies. Vilnius College of Technology and Design, Lithuanian Higher Maritime School and Klaipėda State College remained in fourth place this year, while Vilnius College of Design, Vilnius Business College and Kaunas College of Forestry and Environmental Engineering shared the fifth place.
It is emphasized that both college professional bachelors and university bachelors were evaluated according to the same parameters. Employers' opinion was given the highest weight in the ranking of subject areas of study - as many as 30 points. Employer survey on September 13 of this year. - October 7 was conducted by the sociological research company "Prime consulting", which surveyed 2205 employers (including 21% of top-level managers, 56% of middle-level managers and 23% of lower-level managers) from all regions of the country and all branches of the economy, as well as the public sector .
Employers from all over Lithuania, representing different sectors, were asked which universities and which fields of study alumni work in their companies, institutions and organizations and were asked to evaluate the preparation and quality of work of alumni of different colleges in these fields. Employers could single out 1-2 colleges whose graduates' knowledge and abilities satisfy them the most.
Another 20 points were given to the actual behavior of employers towards college graduates, that is, how the graduates of each college's specific field of study manage to get a job and how much they earn.
It should be noted that this year a new criterion showing student attrition was included, that is, how many students withdrew or withdrew from each college in each field of study. According to the data of the Study Quality Assessment Center (SKVC), the ranking includes the change in the number of students who dropped out in 2018-2020.
The magazine "Reitingai" also points out that although the preparation of undergraduates in colleges and universities is evaluated according to the same parameters, it is not possible to compare colleges with universities, because the mission of these higher education institutions is different: studies in colleges are focused on practical preparation, while studies in universities are based on fundamental research. It is also noted that employers evaluated university alumni and college graduates separately.
VU continues to be the leader of universities
For the seventh time, the magazine "Reitingai" presents a comparative evaluation of university study areas. The quality of undergraduate education at universities has traditionally been evaluated according to the same parameters as the education of professional bachelors at colleges. A total of 80 university bachelor's and integrated study programs were evaluated.
Vilnius University (VU) continues to be in first place, leading in more than a third, that is, in as many as 30 areas of bachelor's studies. Second place is taken by Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), leading in eleven fields of study. The third place went to Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU), leading in 9 fields of study. Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) took fourth place this year, while Vytautas the Great University (VDU) remained fifth.
Vilnius Academy of Arts (VDA) is in sixth place, ISM University of Management and Economics, Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy (LMTA) and Klaipėda University are in seventh place, and Gen. J. Žemaitis Lithuanian Military Academy and Lithuanian Sports University (LSU).
The most important parameter for the evaluation of university bachelors was the extent to which employers are satisfied with the quality of preparation of graduates of each university in a specific field entering the labor market, notes the magazine "Reitingai". Employers' opinion and treatment of graduates accounted for half, that is 50 points, of the total weight of the ranking.
Meanwhile, 78 fields of study were evaluated in the assessment of university master's training.
First place went to Vilnius University in 35 fields of study, second place to Vilnius Gediminas University of Technology, leading in 12 fields of study, and third place to Kaunas University of Technology, leading in 9 fields of study. The fourth place in the rankings was taken by Vytautas the Great University (VDU), leading in 7 fields of study, and fifth place by Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) and Vilnius Academy of Arts (VDA), leading in 3 fields of study.
Sixth place went to Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy (LMTA) and Klaipėda University, while seventh place was shared by ISM University of Management and Economics, Lithuanian Sports University, Šiauliai University.
