Two Indian law schools, NLSIU Bangalore and JGLS Sonepat, have for the first time found a place on the global QS World University Rankings by subject, law in the 100 to 200 ranks out of 894 law schools globally.
JGLS pipped NLSIU on all of QS’ ranking criteria, including academic reputation, employer reputation, and its scores significantly exceeded NLSIU’s in academic citations (see more details below).
JGLS, whose parent institution Jindal Global University (JGU Sonepat) had made it into the top 1,000 QS “world college rankings” last year after a benchmarking initiative, has entered the global law school rankings in position 101 to 150.
NLSIU Bangalore, for which it is the first time in QS though it has been part of the university’s stated aim for at least two years to enter, has debuted in the 151-200 ranks.
We don’t have any information at present that any other law schools in India have tried for the QS rankings, though one would imagine that several other Indian national law schools (with arguably stronger research output than NLS), should be able to make it if they were to try for it.
Breakdown
JGLS’ and NLSIU’s scores were almost the same in academic reputation (67.7 and 65.3 respectively) and employer reputation (83.4 and 29.3 respectively), with JGLS scoring a sliver more points than NLSIU.
However, unsurprisingly considering NLSIU’s permanent faculty hiring freeze for more than a decade and JGLS’ rapid expansion on the same front, JGLS’ so-called “H-index citations” and “citations per paper” metrics are nearly double NLSIU’s (see charts above and below).
JGU founding vice chancellor Prof Raj Kumar said in a press statement: “It is an extraordinary and unprecedented ‘institutional moment’ for JGU to witness history as its first school, the Jindal Global Law School, is ranked number 1 in India and among the top 101-150 in the world.”
This year too, JGU had an “Office of Ranking, Benchmarking and Institutional Transformation (ORBIT)“, with its directors Prof Ashish Bharadwaj and Prof Arjya Majumdar noting in the press release: “Having been recognised as the number one law school in India, JGLS is well-positioned to make a significant research-driven contribution towards building a just, inclusive and democratic society.”
The rankings game and its importance
The top five global law schools in the QS rankings are Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Yale University and Stanford University.
The QS university rankings are pretty prestigious globally, particularly in the Anglophone West, having formerly collaborated with the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, which is part of UK-based The Times newspaper.
Since 2010, THE had been doing its own competing ranking, however, and the company it had collaborated with, Quacquarelli Symonds, had continued the QS World University Rankings by itself (in part as a marketing effort for its global educational and careers fairs, though the research unit operates independently from its events function).
While QS is one of the more authoritative rankings of universities globally, its reach in India had been more limited to date. But with JGLS and NLSIU now having entered the fray at least in the legal field, that could change.
That said, it exists alongside the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry India Rankings Society (IRS) system (formerly the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), which is arguably still more influential domestically due to greater Indian university participation.
Arguably, QS’ value for Indian law schools would still lie primarily in building a global reputation, which has been very much JGLS’ aim (and is literally in its name). That in turn could attract international faculty and students, something most national law universities have not really focused on to date.
We have reached out to NLSIU and QS for further comment.
QS explained
Update 19:35: We have spoken to QS Quacquarelli Symonds regional director Ashwin Fernandes, who has explained the methodology behind the global subject specific rankings in more detail.
First off, said Fernandes, for the subject ranking, “all the data is collected independently by QS” based on information coming from outside the university, and there was “no submission by the university at all” required to be included in the subject ranking.
Particularly, the research output metrics are based on a law school’s papers and citations in academic papers listed in Elsevier’s research database Scopus and not on any submissions of the law school of its own journals or publications, he said.
As such, it was possible to improve the ranking of a law school by strategically pushing for its faculty to publish in more journals that were part of the Scopus database, explained Fernandes.
The other main limbs of the subject specific rankings were the academic and employer reputation of a college.
“In employer reputation we run a global survey every year,” said Fernandes. “Last year we had 45,000 employers around the world and what they tell us [about] which universities produce the best graduates for them.”
Again, that research was independently carried out by QS. However, the company does ask law schools for its list of “top 10” recruiters, which then form part of the corpus.
So if a law school participates on this front by putting forward its most active recruiting law firms and corporates, this would effect its score positively. “You would aid yourself by providing these contacts,” he noted about law schools submitting such contacts, though participation from recruiters was entirely optional. However, such recruiters would likely also reference other top law schools meaning that submitting law school were “not just aiding themselves”.
The academic reputation metric consisted of a survey of primarily international academics. “International reputation is much more valuable in the QS ranking,” said Fernandes. “Any university ranking which has international repute, would do better.”
When asked whether JGLS and NLSIU or other Indian law schools had made active submissions for inclusion in the world rankings (which, unlike the subject specific rankings also have an explicit submissions process), Fernandes said that such applications were confidential.
Fernandes explained that all in all, the rankings and research unit of QS, also dubbed its “intelligence” wing, was independent of any other commercial activity of QS, such as its student fairs and events managing arm, though the rankings did include some commercial elements in its QS stars system. “But the rankings unit itself is independent but does not have any obligations [towards the commercials],” he said.
Update 22:04: The breakdown between the four criteria in compiling the ranking is:
- Academic reputation 50%
- Employer reputation 30%
- H Index 15%
- Citations per paper 5%
threads most popular
thread most upvoted
comment newest
first oldest
first
Quote:www.lawctopus.com/interview-of-srividhya-ragavan/
g .
We then have a "Little League" of tier 2 and tier 3 law schools, where the Big 4 are NUJS, NLIU, NLIU and GNLU, with MNLU possibly making an entry in future. It's difficult for any of the Little Leaguers to crack the QS ranking, but a target can be set for the 250-300 slot by 2030.
P.S. nothing against JGLS. Congratulations for your QS rankings but it matters less in the real scheme of things in legal education in India. With batch sizes as big as 500 odd students most students do very poorly after leaving jgls.
www.legallyindia.com/lawschools/jgls-wins-solid-2019-placements-with-60-firm-corp-jobs-29-go-biglaw-23-lit-94-rcc-strike-rate-total-batch-of-395-20190518-10314
Even if you go onto their website, there's a placements section wherein you can view their placement reports. So I don't quite understand your claim of not revealing stats to the public. Large batch size notwithstanding, this is pretty good considering the number of students who sit for placements is quite similar to the ones who sit for placements at NLUs.
You can choose to conjecture and theorize how you will. From what I hear of friends studying there, even if their supposed 'star faculty' do not teach them, the alternatives are as good if not better. Also, how a professor adds to a students education is for the student to decide, not you.
Again, did you miss the point about how it was to get into any NLU and not NLS?
In this regard, I guess it would be unfair to compare solely on the basis of scholarships. While it is an important metric yes, you would do a better job comparing things holistically.
Not sure if you're an NLUite or traddi, but time to look inwards.
1. Both JGLS and NLSIU approached QS and submitted a list of top employers (I'm guessing a mix of foreign and Indian law firms). A confirmation from Rahul Singh will be helpful, as he is on record saying that NLSIU is targeting QS.
2. As JGLS and NLSIU have MoUs with multiple foreign law schools, they got good references from abroad.
3. JGLS strategically asks profs to publish in good journals, while NLSIU profs have also managed a few.
If this is the formula, then NALSAR and NLUD should definitely give the rankings a shot. However, NUJS, NLUJ and NLIU will not make it as they do not have good international collaborations and publication output is low.
uk.linkedin.com/in/theresa-puthumana-59598a56
uk.linkedin.com/in/asmita-singhvi-b20b29112
uk.linkedin.com/in/chetna-reddy-9599a3125
uk.linkedin.com/in/tulika-gupta-8017b988
uk.linkedin.com/in/chetna-reddy-9599a3125
In any case, I am pleasantly surprised that Law School has managed to break into it. Because there really has been very little focus as far as we can tell. Rahul Singh made this a target, sure. But did the geriatric brigade actually buck up and do meaningful research? Commendable if that has started already.
- Indian Law Review (to be listed from mid-2020 onwards)
- EPW
- JIPR (IP law)
- Contributions to Indian Sociology
A good law/humanities professor should easily be able to get at least 1 article a year published in one of these and boost the college's score.
EMPLOYER PERCEPTION/FUTURE RECRUITMENT PROSPECTS
1. NLSIU
2. NALSAR
3. NUJS
4. JGLS (rise after QS and Institution of Eminence success, will eventually be #2)
5. NLUD (drop expected as Srividhya will probably be denied VCship by TLC lobby, faculty exodus after their candidate takes over)
6. MNLU MUM
7. GNLU
8. NLUJ
9. NLIU
10. RGNUL
FACULTY:
1. JGLS
2. NLSIU (big improvement after expected influx of NLU alumni by Sudhir)
3. NALSAR
4. NUJS
5. MNLU MUM
6. GNLU
7. NLUD (big drop as faculty exodus after TLC lobby candidate becomes new VC)
8. NLUJ
9. NLIU
10. RGNUL
www.ndtv.com/education/iim-calcutta-allotted-land-for-satellite-campus-in-new-town-kolkata-2189295
We did not apply for the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) because the methodology used in the Indian rankings systems including NIRF, does not capture what we do in a holistic way. ... At some point we will participate in NIRF too, but at the moment we focus on international rankings.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/there-has-been-a-historic-prejudice-against-private-universities/articleshow/66600397.cms
www.legallyindia.com/201412175443/Law-schools/jgls-recruitment-2014
B. LI has JGLS as the only advertiser of all the law schools mentioned, so expecting neutrality is foolish.
C. Even in the comments section, Kian finally confessed it was a work in progress and had he been sure about the veracity and the methodology of the study, he'd have repeated it in subsequent years, which he didn't.
D. The info provided by JGLS is always going to be suspect unless verified by external independent sources, because of their propensity to engage in PR stunts. They have been caught at such earlier on several occasions, such as when they lied about having the best day zero ever of all Indian law schools, only to withdraw it surreptitiously from their website without issuing any subsequent apology. They actually have people employed full time to do these PR exercises.
www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/subject-ranking/law#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats
Not true. Indian PhDs need to give NET unless from a top 500 world ranked university. See links below. I have reported your comment for being fake news.
www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/dec/09/ugc-gives-eligibility-test-waiver-to-elite-candidates-draws-flak-1909010.html
Therefore, it is clear that any PhD Degree awarded in India as per 2009/2016 UGC Regulations would serve as ground for exemption from NET etc. You can also check the 2009/2016 regulations, neither of which says anything about the degrees having to be from these 'top 500 world ranked university' as claimed by the troll here. The fact that someone can claim with a straight face that UGC has made a regulation that won't recognize the degrees awarded by the universities actually approved by the UGC to grant such degrees is itself astounding and possibly the product of imagination from an irrational and demented mind. I hope you'd subsequently censor such bogus claims from now on without someone having to point this out over and over again.
So before you make those tall claims about being the best of the lot, do take a look at the socio-economic diversity of students at your institution?
CRK yaps so much on promoting quality legal education in India and making it accessible to everyone. Is it too much to expect him to take a few meritorious IDIA kids at their law school?
Also, JGLS is a private institute so someone needs to pay. NLUs are state sponsored so if anyone its NLUs who actually have an obligation on them to be accessible to all strata of the society.
[Edit: Comment reported, newspaper report accuracy contested. Please provide link to original UGC notification for verification. Also see above comment 37.1.1.2 below for strong evidence against this claim: www.legallyindia.com/lawschools/jgls-nlsiu-break-into-100-200-global-best-law-schools-in-qs-world-university-rankings-20200304-11215#comment-141189 )
1. Regarding UGC NET, the new rule is that PhD holders from top 500 QS/Times universities are exempt. Indian PhD holders are NOT exempt. Someone with an axe to grind against JGLS is constantly spreading fake news by saying all Indian PhDs are exempt. Currently, DU is in the top 500 general rankings, while NLSIU and JGLS are in the top 200 law rankings. Thus, PhD holders from these colleges are exempt from UGC NET. But not, for example, Mysore University or Patna University.
www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/dec/09/ugc-gives-eligibility-test-waiver-to-elite-candidates-draws-flak-1909010.html
2. QS does not require any payment or rankings submission, only a submission of recruiter names and contacts plus contacts of foreign university professors who can give references. It's very likely that both NLSIU and JGLS made these submissions, since they openly announced that they are targeting world rankings. What possibly happened is that NLSIU's contacts were limited to alumni teaching at universities abroad and a few professors who have visited, while JGLS had a huge list as they have many MoUs and foreign professors visiting. Regarding recruiters, NLSIU obviously has a star list, but JGLS has also managed to place graduates here and many have family contacts, so these contacts gave a favourable rating as their own relatives are JGLS students.
3. No money is required to be listed in a SCOPUS journal. There is a voluntary snd open submission process on the website. Remember, law journals of various US universities and NLUs cannot be included as these are student-edited, not peer reviewed. Hence, only EPW and JIPR are included. However, JILI can make a submission and is likely to make the list. It is not the fault of SCOPUS is JILI is lazy about it. JIPR is also government run but they are more alert.
1. You are completely wrong. The exemption that you speak of is for PhDs from foreign universities only. It shows the extent of your education that you choose to rely on newspaper reports instead of actually reading the UGC regulations. There are hundreds of teachers teaching across all the Indian universities without NET but with PhD from various Indian universities.
2. QS isn't paid, that part is true. Rest you make little sense anyway, as usual.
3. You should actually get some knowledge for a change instead of trolling in a meaningless fashion. The fact that you think student edited and peer reviewed journals are mutually exclusive shows that you know nothing.
www.legalaffairs.org/issues/November-December-2004/review_posner_novdec04.msp
crookedtimber.org/2004/10/25/dont-blame-the-law-students-a-reply-to-posner/
www.law.upenn.edu/journals/lawreview/articles/volume154/issue4/Cotton154U.Pa.L.Rev.951(2006).pdf
Our Dhobi always burns my shirt.
No wonder we will never figure in QS Rankings. :(
Once again, you DO need to give UGC NET if you have a PhD, and you are only exempt if you have a PhD from a top 500 QS/Times ranked university (whether Indian or foreign). The New Indian Express report is correct. A [...] is on a mission to spread lies and disinformation against this. Only those who registered for a PhD in India prior to 2009 are exempt, as the news report says, but everyone who registered so long ago must have completed their PhD by now. Below is a link to the actual UGC notification stating this:
www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/4033931_UGC-Regulation_min_Qualification_Jul2018.pdf
The notification clearly says:
EXEMPTION 1 (Top 500 University PhD)
The Ph.D degree has been obtained from a foreign university/institution with a ranking among top 500 in the World University Ranking (at any time) by any one of the following: (i) Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) (ii) the Times Higher Education (THE) or (iii) the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai).
EXEMPTION 2 (Indian PhD prior to 2009)
Provided, the candidates registered for the Ph.D. programme prior to July 11, 2009, shall be governed by the provisions of the then existing Ordinances/Bye-laws/Regulations of the Institution awarding the degree and such Ph.D. candidates shall be exempted from the requirement of NET/SLET/SET for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professor or equivalent position
As the New Indian Express report says, the criticism is that it creates a hierarchy of "elite" PhDs and discriminates against desi PhDs, who are usually from humble backgrounds. Sure, make this criticism but don't spread fake news.
I thus request LI to delete all comments [...] which are to the contrary.
And Kian, you may please call your VC buddies (Sudhir, Faizan, Ranbir, Rajkumar etc) and get this sorted once and for all.
What a terrific achievement for a law school that is just a decade old. And to be ranked in the 101-150 bracket globally is phenomenal. Congratulations to Prof Rajkumar and all my friends at Jindal. There is so much that 'sarkari' law schools/universities can learn from Jindal, but I doubt if they would ever learn. They just don't care!
1. NLSIU: 15.2 lakhs
2. NALSAR: 15 lakhs
3. NUJS 15 lakhs
4. NLUJ: 14.5 lakhs
5. NLUD: 13.8 lakhs
6. Symbiosis: 9.75 lakhs
7. NLIU: 9.2 lakhs
8 RNGUL: 7.5 lakhs
9. IIT: 7.4 lakhs
10. GNLU: 6 lakhs
www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/india-s-new-numero-uno-law-school-1654156-2020-03-10
indianexpress.com/article/education/institutions-of-eminence-kalinga-institute-of-industrial-technology-kiit-odisha-vellore-institute-of-technology-vit-tamil-nadu-6296407/
p.s. I did not graduate from any of these above mentioned colleges. We do not like races such as this. Pune calms everybody down :)
"People take pride in the fact that Bangalore law school is the Harvard of the East - we will work continuously to make people say that Harvard is the Bangalore of the West."
www.legallyindia.com/lawschools/bangalore-law-school-takes-on-world-with-good-advice-20090522-022
Total Faculty reported by GU to QS: ~285
Total faculty reported in the AQAR (NAAC): 234 out of which 26 are others (Probably RAs and SRAs - RAs cannot be reported as faculty as per QS process) | iqac.jgu.edu.in/document/aqar_16-17.pdf
QS 2020 Rankings | Reporting period: Academic Year 2017-18
Total Faculty reported by GU to QS: 432 | www.topuniversities.com/universities/op-jindal-global-university
Total faculty reported in the AQAR (NAAC): 277 out of which 36 are others (Probably RAs and SRAs - RAs cannot be reported as faculty as per QS process) | iqac.jgu.edu.in/document/AQAR_17-18.pdf
AQAR for the academic year 2018-19 is not available on GU's IQAC website. Not so strangely, GU has never participated in NIRF.....maybe beacause one has to disclose actual data for the previous 5 years and also make it public on the University's website.
1. How can LLMs be offered online? Is it allowed under the law? Note that NLSIU calls their distance programme MBL while NALSAR’s distance programmes are called diplomas. Also, the professional LLM at NLUD is partly offline partly online.
2. Are the JGLS and NLUD programmes UGC recognised?
3. Is admission at NLUD and JGLS via LLM CLAT? If not, is it allowed?
4. What is the fees comparison between the NLUD professional LLM vs NLSIU MBL vs NALSAR diploma vs JGLS online LLM?
5. Live law has published the JGLS online LLM brochure. The faculty seems different from the regular corp law LLM. Can you confirm?
threads most popular
thread most upvoted
comment newest
first oldest
first