University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) has ranked 75th in the Global Top 100 Innovative Universities in the World's Universities with Real Impact (WURI) Ranking, moving up 21 notches from rank 96.
WURI Project Leader Prof MOON Hwy-Chang announced the ranking in ceremonies held on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Florida, reads a press release issued on Thursday.
The other top five ranked universities are Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute (US), Arizona State University (US), University of Pennsylvania (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) and Stanford University (US).
Among Bangladeshi universities, ULAB topped the list, besting seven universities that participated.
The other universities in the WURI ranking's top 300 are International University on Business, Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), American International University Bangladesh (AIUB), World University Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Canadian University Bangladesh (CUB), and Daffodil International University (DIU).
ULAB also improved its position in various WURI categories.
Under the Industrial Application category, ULAB's entry “ULAB TV” improved its rank from 49 in 2022 to 36 in 2023.
Under the Entrepreneurial Spirit category, ULAB's Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) increased its rank from 25 in 2022 to 19 in 2023.
Under the Ethical Value category, ULAB's entry “Curriculum Integration Program” jumped from rank 36 in 2022 to 28 in 2023.
Under the Crisis Management category, ULAB's entry regarding its post-pandemic strategy upgraded its position from 24 in 2022 to 15 in 2023.
Under the Fourth Industrial Revolution category, ULAB's entry “Digital Journalism: An Advanced Study Program for the Fourth Industrial Revolution” was ranked 20th.
The WURI Ranking comprises the Global Top 100 and the Top 50 in each category: Industrial Application, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Ethical Value, Student Mobility and Openness, Crisis Management and Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The WURI Ranking was developed by the Hanseatic League of Universities (HLU).
The HLU Board of Trustees comprises university presidents from the Netherlands, China, Russia, Germany, South Korea, the US and Finland.
The mission of the HLU is to promote innovation in teaching and research in higher education institutions.
Given its mission, the HLU formed an alternative ranking system called WURI.
Instead of looking at statistics on research, internationalization and perception, it evaluates a university's real contribution to society.
It highlights creative and innovative approaches to university research and education.