LONDON

QS Quacquarelli Symonds, global higher education think-tank today named Latin America's 400 best universities.

The Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile retains its status as regional leader for the third consecutive year due to outstanding regard among employers and improved research productivity.

This edition sees the decline of Brazilian higher education and noteworthy improvements for top Mexican institutions with Tecnologico de Monterrey breaking into the top 3 for the first time ever.

The QS World University Rankings Latin America is based on unique metrics designed to capture whether a university is fostering the environment, networks, and practices necessary for world-class research production. QS's rankings include the perspectives of 45,000 employers across the world regarding the quality of a given university's graduates. According to employers surveyed by QS, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile produces Latin America's most employable graduates.

Brazil's flagship university, the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), remains 2nd overall. It is also Latin America's most productive research university, receiving the regional #1 score for Papers per Faculty Member. 94 of the 400 ranked institutions are Brazilian. However, this is primarily a symptom of the nation's size. The trajectory for most Brazilian institutions is downwards 57 drop, and 27 rise. After Brazil, the most-represented nations are Mexico (59), Colombia (57), Argentina (43), and Chile (40).

Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, said The Brazilian tertiary education system is one of the least internationalized of all OECD and partner countries, and our research shows that students care deeply about the ability of their chosen university to enhance their employment prospects. Chile seems to be the beneficiary of Brazil's troubles, at least as far as employer preferences are concerned. The performance of Chile's top ten universities, when evaluated through an employability lens, is commendable, with seven improving their rating among employers, and three seeing their performance remain stable.

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