Faculty-Student Ratio
The number of full-time faculty members per student, used as a proxy for teaching quality and individual attention in university rankings.
The faculty-student ratio measures how many full-time academic staff are available per enrolled student, serving as an indicator of teaching intensity and accessibility. A ratio of 1:10 means one faculty member for every ten students. QS weights this metric at 20% of its overall ranking, making it the most heavily weighted teaching quality proxy. Elite institutions often maintain ratios of 1:5 to 1:8, while large public universities may have ratios of 1:20 or higher.
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