Today there are many national and international ranking systems, which rely on different methodologies from each other. Criticism of each method used, do not have a unified rating system, however it has a very wide use by potential students or PhD candidates at the moment they are choosing the university they are going to make their studies or researches.
The main reason why the ranking of universities is done is to respond to the increasing demand of higher education in recent decades throughout the world. As the number of students is increasing the need for information’s and advices has increased. But when the number of universities is very high and the types of programs they offer is almost endless, SR makes a sort of summarize all this information, based on factors such as teaching staff, academic research, the report of professors-students, employment opportunities after graduation , etc.. So SR makes the evaluation instead of the person who needs information.
The Ministry of Education and Science, in order to better inform students about the offers in the education system in the country undertook a pilot project for the ranking of the universities operating in the market. This ranking was mainly focused on four fields: economics, law, nursing and social science.
The main problem of the ranking is that, unlike its counterparts, this system has no processing of data that list the universities from the best to the worst (or less of course) leaving free hand to the universities to publicize only those factors which are classified at the top.
This fact adds more “noise” in the market and hampers orientation rather than facilitate. The second problem is that out of the ranking process has stood the most important institution in the country regarding the number of students, such as the University of Tirana, but also other important universities. In this process participated only about 55% of universities operating in the market
Source: Ministry of Education and Science
Comments and Analysis: Open Data Albania (ODA)
Both these factors put into question the fulfillment of the purpose of the ministry of Education and Science because the ranking system does not appear very helpful in decision making. Furthermore, there is a very high suspicion if the selection between private universities for the country is mainly based on the desire to appear more qualified or is just the ease of obtaining the diploma.