Times Higher Education

What Times Higher Education does

Times Higher Education (THE) is a UK-headquartered, privately held media and data-analytics firm that operates the world's most widely cited university ranking franchise. Its core product is an 18-metric methodology applied annually across 2,191 universities from 115 countries, covering teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement. THE extends this methodology into parallel frameworks — THE Subject Rankings (1,200+ institutions across Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Social Sciences, etc.), THE Sustainability Impact Rankings (1,646 institutions across 116 countries measured against the UN Sustainable Development Goals), THE Asia University Rankings (929 universities), and a Global Employability Ranking — creating a multi-dimensional longitudinal dataset unmatched by peers.

The company monetizes across three streams: (1) subscription-based analytics and consulting via DataPoints, sold as multi-year contracts to university administrative leadership for ranking-strategy and performance-benchmarking support; (2) ranking publications and data access consumed by universities, employers, prospective students, and policymakers; and (3) paid regional summit products including the Africa Universities Summit and the Latin America Universities Summit, which double as thought-leadership and direct-sales channels. THE has historically expanded through acquisition (The Knowledge Partnership, 2020; Inside Higher Ed, 2022) and selectively through partnerships (e.g., PebblePad, 2025), operating with 501–1,000 employees from London as the global headquarters.

Customer relationships are anchored in long-tail B2B distribution across the global higher-education sector, with select named anchors such as Oxford (#1 World University Rankings for a record tenth consecutive year), MIT (#1 in three Subject Rankings in 2026), Hokkaido, CityUHK, Southampton, CEU, IIMT, and Kangwon National University (a disclosed DataPoints subscriber). Marketing and customer engagement combine top-of-funnel earned media through annual ranking releases with mid- and bottom-of-funnel engagement through regional summits, the THE website, and direct institutional sales for DataPoints and consulting.

Name

Times Higher Education

Legal name

Times Higher Education

Website

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Times Higher Education is a London-based, privately held media and data-analytics firm that publishes globally recognized university rankings and sells subscription analytics, consulting, and regional summit products to universities, employers, and policymakers across 115+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Rankings and Analytics

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Academic Standards & Degree Framework Authorities (EDADAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subject-Specific Standards & Curriculum Councils (EDADAEAB)

Keywords

• University rankings
• Higher education analytics
• Sustainability impact rankings
• Graduate employability assessment
• Higher education consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. DataPoints Subscription Services: THE offers DataPoints subscription services to universities providing consulting and data analytics to help institutions improve their global rankings. Universities like Kangwon National University reportedly spent approximately 340 million won over three years on this subscription service.
2. Ranking Publications and Data Access: THE generates revenue through publishing ranking results and providing data access to universities, employers, and prospective students seeking institutional performance data.
3. Event Summits and Conferences: THE organizes regional summits including the Africa Universities Summit and Latin America Universities Summit, generating revenue through ticket sales and sponsorship from higher education institutions and industry partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Times Higher Education produces globally recognized university rankings and higher education performance data, including the World University Rankings (2,100+ universities from 115 countries), Impact/Sustainability Rankings, Subject Rankings, Regional Rankings, and the Global Employability Ranking. It also sells DataPoints, a subscription analytics and consulting service that helps universities benchmark performance and improve rankings. Revenue is generated through paid institutional subscriptions, summits/events, and related consulting.

Product overview

Times Higher Education (THE) offers a comprehensive suite of university ranking products and services. The core offerings include THE World University Rankings (covering over 2,100 universities globally), THE Impact Rankings/Sustainability Impact Rankings (assessing contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals across 1,600+ institutions), THE Subject Rankings (evaluating universities by academic discipline), THE Asia University Rankings, and the Global Employability Ranking. THE also provides DataPoints, a subscription analytics service for universities seeking ranking improvement strategies. The company organizes regional summits including THE Africa Universities Summit and THE Latin America Universities Summit, positioning itself as a global higher education intelligence platform serving institutions, employers, and policymakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• THE World University Rankings Flagship annual ranking product evaluating universities across 18 performance indicators covering teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement, covering over 2,100 universities from 115 countries. Used by universities, employers, policymakers, and prospective students for global institutional benchmarking.
• THE Impact Rankings / Sustainability Impact Rankings Rankings assessing university contributions to all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals across research, teaching, stewardship, and knowledge exchange, evaluating over 1,600 institutions from 116 countries. Designed to benchmark sustainability and social impact performance of higher education institutions.
• THE Subject Rankings Subject-specific rankings evaluating universities across academic discipline areas including Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Social Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences, covering 1,200+ institutions. Used by students and institutions to benchmark subject-level academic performance.
• THE Asia University Rankings Regional ranking framework evaluating 929 universities across Asia on teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement. Provides Asia-specific benchmarking for universities, students, and employers in the region.
• Global Employability Ranking Ranking measuring university performance based on international employer surveys, ranking institutions by graduate employability. Used primarily by multinational employers and recruiters to assess graduate talent pipelines.
• DataPoints Subscription analytics service providing universities with ranking strategy consulting and performance metrics tracking to help institutions improve their global rankings. Sold via direct multi-year institutional contracts (e.g., Kangwon National University spent approximately $250,000 USD over three years).
• THE Africa Universities Summit Annual conference bringing together higher education leaders, business, and civil society to discuss innovation, talent development, and inclusive growth across the African continent. Generates revenue via ticket sales and sponsorship.
• THE Latin America Universities Summit Regional conference addressing challenges facing higher education in Latin America, including AI integration, lifelong learning, and innovation ecosystems. Generates revenue via ticket sales and sponsorship.

Quantifiable outcome

• Oxford University ranked #1 globally for a record tenth consecutive year since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PebblePadminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025PebblePad, an ePortfolio and assessment platform for higher education, announced a global strategic partnership with Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education on November 6, 2025. The partnership is part of PebblePad's US engagement strategy to advance student success. As part of the collaboration, PebblePad participates in key sector events including THE Student Success UK/IE in Edinburgh and THE Student Success US in Atlanta, aligning PebblePad's ePortfolio platform with THE's global reach in higher education news, analysis, and rankings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quacquarelli Symonds (QS): Operates the QS World University Rankings and a portfolio of regional and subject rankings. Directly competes with THE for institutional subscriptions, employer mindshare, and ranking-driven earned media cycles.
• ShanghaiRanking Consultancy (ARWU): Publishes the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. Competes head-to-head with THE's World University Rankings and Subject Rankings, especially among research-intensive institutions in Asia.
• U.S. News & World Report: Produces Best Colleges, Best Global Universities, and other rankings used by students, employers, and policymakers. Competes with THE for global institutional visibility, particularly across English-language audiences.
• Top Universities (TopUniversities / QS-affiliated): Consumer-facing portal owned by QS that publishes ranking results and university profiles. Closely mirrors THE's role as the public face of the QS rankings and competes for student and employer traffic.

Broad incumbents

• The Chronicle of Higher Education: U.S.-focused higher-education news, data, and events business with subscriber-based content. Competes with THE's editorial coverage (especially via the Inside Higher Ed acquisition) and shares higher-ed institutional advertising and event sponsors.

Emerging players

• Elsevier (SciVal): Provides research analytics and institutional benchmarking built on Scopus data. Adjacent competitor for university performance analytics that complements or substitutes for THE's DataPoints offering.
• Niche: Consumer-facing college and K-12 search and ranking platform in the U.S. Competes for student and family mindshare with THE's openly accessible rankings and university comparison content.

Others

• ResearchGate: Academic networking and research-impact platform used by universities and researchers globally. Touches the same institutional decision-makers, particularly around research reputation and impact metrics that feed THE's rankings.
• Times Higher Education Events (THE Campus / THE Student Success): Included for completeness; other higher-education event operators (e.g., NAFSA, EAIE, Going Global) compete for institutional summit sponsorship budgets alongside THE's regional events portfolio.

Regional players

• Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA): UK-based agency collecting and publishing official higher-education data. Adjacent to THE's data and rankings business for UK institutions and a potential collaborator or competitor for institutional performance data.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/timeshighered
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/times-higher-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Times Higher Education