Trinity College up to 81st in world rankings

Dublin’s Trinity College has risen to 81st in the QS World University Rankings for 2024. 

Trinity has shot up from 98 to 81 in the space of a year, which is reflected in strong performances for other Irish third-level institutions in this year’s rankings.

Dublin’s third-level facilities performed well, with UCD going from 181 to 171, DCU going from 471 to 436, and TU Dublin also seeing a rise.

For the twelfth consecutive year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) maintains its reign at the top of the global rankings.

Trinity’s rise up the rankings has been welcomed, with Trinity’s Provost Dr Linda Doyle saying “Rankings don’t reflect the full breadth of all the important things we do, and we have lots more to be proud of in Trinity.”

“Still, this outcome is good news for us, and I want to thank everyone in Trinity for the dedication and hard work that has contributed to this significant jump.”

Dr. Doyle is not resting on laurels however, and said “I’ll be clear – we need proper sustained long-term investment in people and infrastructure to ensure the conditions exist for our students and staff to excel – investment such as this in higher education benefits our students, our society, and Ireland’s standing in the world.”

Trinity’s Dean of Research Dr. Sinéad Ryan said: “Researchers in Trinity have always produced excellent, impactful research of the highest standard that is recognised by their peers around the world.”

Dr. Ryan echoed Dr. Doyle’s calls for more sustained investment into third-level education in Ireland, remarking “Infrastructure and equipment is crumbling and the system has been chronically underfunded for years.”

“While a good performance is always welcome, this year’s rankings highlight the need for more sustained government funding to keep Ireland’s universities internationally competitive and to continue nurturing talent, enabling discovery, and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.” 

The strong performances of Irish third-level institutions in the ranking were welcomed by Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris, who commented “This is great news for all the universities involved, and for the country as a whole.”

“While international rankings are just one measure of success, they do help attract investment from industry and help retain talent.”

“As we continue to increase funding in third level, while also developing our research capacity, through the Government’s Funding the Future policy, I am convinced Irish universities will continue to benefit, and this will be recognised on international ranking tables.”