On 20 October, Professor Michael Luck, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, wrote to all academic staff. The full text of the email is provided below:
Dear Colleague,
I am writing to you to ask for your help with improving our international ranking and reputation through our performance in the QS World University Rankings. Last year, your actions contributed to a 35-place rise in academic reputation and an 89-place rise in employer reputation! We are keen to build on this positive momentum and continue to strengthen our rankings on these indicators in the 2026 survey.
As I am sure you are aware, global rankings are very influential in relation to the choices made by prospective international students, as well as the perceptions and behaviours of other audiences (e.g. staff, funding bodies, research partners). You can help us to enhance our global reputation by sharing your contacts as part of the highly regarded annual QS World University Rankings. Because the academic and employer reputation survey scores are weighted heavily in the QS Rankings, this is critical to our overall ranking, regardless of how we may score on the other metrics used in the rankings.
At Sussex, we maintain an exceptionally diverse research portfolio, with a strong reputation both nationally and globally. The rankings play a critical role in showcasing the significance and impact of our research and highlighting our commitment to sustainability, interdisciplinary partnerships, and international engagement. With your support, we can enhance the visibility of our research in the QS Rankings.
Your key UK and international academic contacts will be contacted by QS to name institutions they regard as strong in their field of research. Your contacts could include co-authors, collaborators, alumni in academia, or colleagues now working elsewhere. Your contacts could work within or outside your field of expertise. A separate survey collects views from employers about the quality of graduates from different universities.
How you can help
Our QS World Ranking is currently 278th in the world, which was a fall from last year. However, it would have been a considerably greater fall had it not been for our improvement in academic and employer reputation, so it is more important than ever that we put together strong lists of contacts for the surveys.
Later this week, all academics will receive a personalised email from the Planning team with a pre-populated list of suggested contacts – based on any previous submissions you have made and on data collated from your co-authorship of publications – so that you can review those and submit any additional names. Please provide a list of academic contacts from external institutions (both in the UK and around the world) and, separately, a list of employer contacts. Submitting contact details to the surveys will be done in compliance with current data protection legislation, and the Planning team will ask your contacts for written consent before we submit their details to QS.
To fit the timelines, the personalised email will ask you to submit any contacts by Monday 1 December. If there are any queries, or if you do not receive your personalised email, please contact the Planning team at: planning@sussex.ac.uk.
Thank you in advance for doing this – it really makes a huge difference to what we can achieve.
With thanks and best wishes,
Michael
Professor Michael Luck
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost