A World of Difference: A Global Survey of University League Tables. Canadian Education Report Series.

(EPI) is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to policy-based research on educational opportunity for all students. With offices in Washington, DC, Toronto, ON, and Melbourne, Australia, EPI is a collective association of researchers and policy analysts from around the world dedicated to the mission of enhancing our knowledge of critical barriers facing students and families throughout the educational pipeline. In addition, EPI has developed extensive partnerships and collaborative arrangements with other leading research and educational organizations, further supporting our mission and ability to conduct policy-relevant research for practical use. The mission of EPI is to expand educational opportunity for low-income and other historically-underrepresented students through high-level research and analysis. By providing educational leaders and policymakers with the information required to make prudent programmatic and policy decisions, we believe that the doors of opportunity can be further opened for all students, resulting in an increase in the number of students prepared for, enrolled in, and completing postsecondary education. Massimo Savino is a Research Associate with the Educational Policy Institute's Toronto office. He holds a BA in political science from McGill University in Montreal as well as an MSc from the London School of Economics. Acknowledgements Thanks are due first and foremost to Jan Sadlak of UNESCO-CEPES and Jamie Merisotis of the Institute for Higher Education Policy for extending an invitation to one of the authors to the December 2004 meeting of the International Working Group on University Ranking Systems in Washington, DC. Thanks are also due to the participants of that meeting, especially Jesus all of whom were of considerable assistance in helping us to understand the intricacies of the various international ranking systems. University are also owed a debt of gratitude for bringing EPI into the world of quality measurement. Ken Redd provided illuminating advice on undergraduate programs in the United States and how they might relate to ranking systems there. Tomasz Bednarczyk translated league tables from Poland. Federica Prato of MIUR in Italy was of great assistance in deepening our understanding of contemporary issues in Italian higher education. Long afternoons were profitably and enjoyably spent with Ken Snowdon discussing the ins and outs and pros and cons of ranking systems. The paper also benefited considerably from helpful comments from a number of people, Notwithstanding all this generous assistance, any errors or omissions are entirely those of the authors.