UPF holds the number two position in terms of teaching quality among Spain's public universities, after the University of Lleida. It is also very well positioned with regard to the other indicators covered by the " CYD 2008 Report " ( Informe CYD 2008) which was recently presented by Fundación CYD (a foundation for "Knowledge and Development") and Barcelona's Fundació Cercle d'Economia at a joint conference dedicated to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The rankings proposed by Fundación CYD (which the institution itself refers to as "a guesstimate") for Spain's public campus universities are based on data relating to academic year 2006-07, obtained primarily from the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities  - Spanish Universities in Figures 2008 - held at the end of 2008.

The classification is reached on the basis of 20 indicators, covering four main areas: the ability to attract new students; quality of teaching; quality of doctoral studies; and quality of research.

Second best in terms of quality of teaching

The ranking for quality of teaching is based on eight indicators. One group of indicators refers to academic effectiveness, estimated on the basis of drop-out rates and performance levels. In regard to this final indicator, UPF scores over 80% - the highest among Spain's public campus-based universities. This indicator measures the percentage of credits completed per student during the first and second years compared to the total enrolled credits. Unlike previous editions, this year the graduation rate is not taken into account.

A second group of indicators looks at universities' teaching resources on the one hand - with calculations of current costs per student (UPF is ranked in 4th place at 7,353.12 euros) and the ratio of students to research teaching staff (UPF is in 3rd place at 10.37%). And, on the other hand, an analysis of physical resources - based on the ratio of enrolled students to simultaneous-use locations available in different facilities: classrooms, libraries (UPF in 5th position with 4.57) and computer rooms (UPF ranked 6th with 3.25).

Lastly, the final teaching quality indicator relates to the degree to which universities open up beyond their local area: UPF is ranked 18th with 20.03% of enrolled first- and second-year students residing outside the University's province.

Among the top 5 universities in terms of ability to attract new students

In terms of ability to attract new students, UPF is in 5th position within a group that also features the Universities of Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña and the Polytechnic of Catalonia. UPF thus stands out in terms of its average access score (1st place with 7.09) and in terms of percentage of first-choice pre-enrolments with regard to all places offered (ranked number 5); this data provides a good measurement of places requested compared to places available.

If we look at quality of research, UPF falls within an eighth block of universities of this ranking along with University Carlos III in Madrid and the Autonomous Universities of Madrid and Barcelona, for recording higher indices of six-year period supplements achieved by permanent teaching staff (UPF placed in 2nd position with 1.95) and a lower percentage of research lecturers without six-year period supplements (UPF in 3rd place with 21%) and in terms of R&D income per full-time-equivalent research teaching staff (in 7th place at 20,874 euros). Within this same block, UPF is in 9th position with regard to theses produced and 12th place in terms of number of articles published in leading magazines.

We find another notable detail among the indicators relating to Quality of doctoral programmes. Specifically, the measurement of how far institutions open up to international students shows that, among students enrolled on doctoral programmes, the family home of 39.5% of them is outside Spain (the 4th highest percentage in the country, behind only Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Salamanca University and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia).

The main objectives of the CYD Report, which comes out annually, are: to show the decisive role of universities within the Spanish economy and society; to promote among businesses and institutions the perception of the importance of universities in improving Spain's economic productivity and competitiveness within an increasingly global context; and to draw out lessons from experiences gained through university-business collaboration.

CYD 2008's Report (castilian)