What Makes Us No.1 in International Outlook?

4 min readDec 14, 2022

№1 Private University in International Outlook

Shoolini University is nestled near Kasauli in the Solan district. This young research-based University has been ranked as No.1 private university in India in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2023. Furthermore, it has been ranked 39th in the world in THE Rankings on Citations, an indicator of the quality of research and No.1 in India in the International Outlook parameter.

To understand what makes Shoolini University No.1 in International Outlook, let’s first define international outlook.

International Outlook

THE World University Rankings is regarded as the largest and most reputable rankings in the world due to its elaborative and rigorous assessment procedure. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 include 1,799 universities across 104 countries and regions. The universities were judged across four major areas: teaching (30% weightage); research (30% weightage); citations (30% weightage); international outlook (7.5% weightage); and industry income (2.5% weightage). The rankings also act as a valuable resource for international students and universities by helping them identify the right candidates and institutions of higher learning.

Universities are no longer compared only to competitors in their city or even in their own country; world-class universities participate globally and attract students and researchers from all over the world. Therefore, an international outlook is indicative of a leading educational institution and is of relevance to both international and domestic students.

The international outlook parameter in THE rankings is measured by three indicators: the ratio of international to domestic students, the ratio of international to domestic faculty, and the proportion of international collaboration in research.

An institution’s ability to attract international faculty and students is important in the academic setting, as an international perspective can establish an institution as a global brand. International outlook fosters a more diversified and global campus. For a successful profession in a globalized culture, it is vital for students to study with people of diverse values and backgrounds.

An international environment on campus has many benefits, such as encouraging open-minded discussions with unique and diverse opinions to improve relationships between people from different cultures. But on a more basic level, an institution that isn’t associated with the rest of the world and doesn’t have international connections can’t claim to be one of the best universities in the world.

Shoolini’s International Outlook Score

International Outlook: 3.68 (7.5)

Percentage of international staff: 8.7%

The proportion of international students: 1.6%

International co-authorship: 53.1% (2017–2021)

International co-authorship: 64.4% (2018–2022)

Shoolini University — #1 in the International Outlook

Top-notch Research Centres

Shoolini University has an ambitious goal of being one of the top 200 universities in the world. For this, Shoolini has developed intrinsic strengths for joint research on sustainability in the Himalayan region with international counterparts. The University is an active member of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) and is actively engaged in organising and participating in various policy-making initiatives.

The university has established several research centres in areas relevant to the university’s research goals.

Research Centres

The purpose of setting up these research centres is to promote interdisciplinary collaborative research within the university as well as with researchers from other institutions in India and abroad.

Research in DNA

Additionally, the University has taken a giant leap for quality research and built a worldwide network of partner universities to foster exchange opportunities, collaborative academic programs, faculty engagement and research, as well as other activities.

In the last five years (2018–22), Shoolini University has published 2148 SCOPUS-listed papers with an international collaboration of 64.4%. These papers have received over 31925 citations, with a field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) of 2.22 and citation per paper of 14.9. Most collaborations have benefited both the partner institutions and their researchers, with research published in higher-impact journals and receiving more citations.

The University is at the forefront of research across a wide spectrum of fields, from biomolecules to AI applications to sustainability and renewable energy, owing to its innovative research and teaching models. With over 1200+ patents, Shoolini is one of India’s highest generators of patents and innovation.

International Collaboration

The university has also partnered with 100+ global universities for leading-edge research in several research areas including South Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, and the United States have been established. Remarkably, over 70% of the university’s research is in collaboration with international universities and 38.9% of its publications are in the world’s top 10% of journals.

International Staff and Faculty

Shoolini University has established a number of international collaborations and exchange agreements with major foreign universities. Students have come from countries like Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Eutopia, Ivory Coast, Germany, China, Nepal and Brazil to study at Shoolini. So far, Shoolini University has developed strong academic bonds with more than 250+ higher institutions of learning in 28+ countries.

The pioneering research-led institute of international repute has built a legacy of excellence and has been quintessential for producing graduates and academia who have had a tremendous impact, directly or indirectly, on growth and development in India.