Seven of the nation’s universities were included in UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds’ 2018 Graduate Employability Rankings released on Tuesday, but National Taiwan University (NTU) dropped out of the top 100.
NTU was listed in a group of universities ranked as the 101st to 110th best institutions in the world at producing employable graduates, dropping sharply from 61st place in this year’s rankings.
Of the other four Taiwanese universities that made a repeat appearance in the list, only one, National Chiao Tung University, maintained its standing. The school ranked between 161st and 170th this year after ranking between 151st and 200th last year.
However, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) fell to between 161st and 170th this year, from 101st to 150th last year, and National Sun Yat-sen University tumbled to between 251st and 300th, after ranking between 151st and 200th last year.
National Tsing Hua University dropped to between 301st and 500th after finishing in the 201st to 300th bracket in last year’s list.
Next year’s rankings consist of the top 500 schools, compared with only the top 300 schools in this year’s rankings.
The two Taiwanese universities that made the list for the first time this year were National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), which ranked between 171st and 180th, and National Central University (NCU), ranked between 301st and 500th.
Topping the list was Stanford University, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles; Harvard University; the University of Sydney; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Rounding out the top 10 were the University of Cambridge; the University of Melbourne; the University of Oxford; the University of California, Berkeley; and Beijing-based Tsinghua University.
NTU was ranked only 19th in Asia in graduate employability this year, down from 16th last year, finishing behind seven universities in Japan, five in China, two each in South Korea and Hong Kong, and one in Singapore.
How successful universities are at producing employable graduates is determined according to five indicators — employer reputation, partnerships with employers, alumni outcomes, employers’ presence on campus and the graduate employment rate.
Among the Taiwanese universities, NTU outperformed others in alumni outcomes, while NCKU and NCU performed well in employer-student connections and NTUST had the highest graduate employment rate.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass