Dynamics of the Results of Brics Countries in the Ranking Web of Universities (2012-2017)

The paper presents the results of a study on the development of mass higher education in BRICS based on the analysis of Ranking Web of Universities - the only international university ranking that promotes the development of mass higher education.

Tasks of the analysis: study of the dynamics of BRICS performance.

Indicators: number of national universities starting with the top 2000: N₂₀₀₀, N₃₀₀₀, N₄₀₀₀, N₅₀₀₀, N₁₀₀₀₀, N₂₀₀₀₀, N₂₅₀₀₀.

Results:

India leads the scale of mass higher education and the pace of its development. A sharp increase in the number of ranked universities in July 2016 (2,5 times) provided India with the first place in the world in terms of N₂₅₀₀₀. Since July 2015 India is in top ten countries with six out of seven indicators. However the quality of education in mass universities remains low: the quality indicator (ratio N₅₀₀₀ to N₂₀₀₀₀) is only 12-13%

China ranks third in the world in number of ranked universities (after India and the USA). It leads the BRICS by the quality of education and is among the top ten world countries by all seven indicators. In relation of N₅₀₀₀ to N₂₀₀₀₀, China ranks second among countries with a large-scale system of higher education (after the USA).

Brazil and Russia are close by the scale of higher education. But the quality of mass universities in Brazil is higher than in Russia. Brazil consistently enters the top ten countries by six indicators; Russia since July 2015 - only by four. According to the conditional quality indicator Brazil ranks second in the BRICS; in Russia this indicator is extremely low (10%).

Taking into account demographic factors, it can be stated that attention to the problems of youth in these countries will determine the pace and ways of developing mass higher education on a global scale.