French schools have struggled to distinguish themselves from their American counterparts, the uncontested rankings leaders. However, a 2012 report published by the Observatoire des sciences et des techniques (OST) listed France between 6th and 7th place worldwide for academic research. "It's not a fair fight when big American universities have the means to hire Nobel Prize winners who have been published in Nature and Science," explains Frank Pacard, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research at École Polytechnique. "The rankings put everyone in the same basket."
These rankings are intended to help students choose from among schools the world over. However, French universities are in a different position than the Anglo-Saxon schools and the French grandes écoles, which have to sell themselves to compensate for their high tuition fees. Paris-Sud University President Jacques Bittoun explains, "Rankings are often shaped by international relations and I'm not about to do whatever it takes just to land a top spot."
ranking and communication
While French universities argue that they do not have a ranking strategy, Bittoun admits, "We do follow them to see how we compare with other universities." For OST director Ghislaine Filliatreau, "Schools should see rankings as one communications tool among many. Their ranking strategies should be based on their own policies and target audiences. Also, don't forget that you have better odds of getting listed in the rankings' discipline-specific categories."
France has learned that there is strength in numbers. Some French schools have formed clusters that resemble American comprehensive universities in terms of their size, multidisciplinary focus and mix of academics and research. Simulations conducted by OST in 2012 showed that the Paris-Saclay University cluster could reach 19th place on the Shanghai ranking. This drew the attention of HEC Paris Dean Bernard Ramanantsoa, who commented, "I hope that Paris-Saclay will help us make it onto that ranking because HEC can't do it alone."
