The CHE-University Ranking in Germany

University rankings have become widely influential in the last 10 years, both on a national and international scale. Rankings as a consumer information tool can function as an effective quality assurance mechanism. Most existing university rankings, however, seem to distort rather than improve the higher education market. The CHE ranking in Germany is an exception. It is a carefully designed ranking that minimizes the main conceptual and methodological problems that university rankings commonly face. The analysis in the chapter concludes that commercially oriented entities alone cannot provide a high quality university ranking. Original data collection and data verification is a costly activity and there is a strong incentive for commercial providers to rely on easily available statistics. Therefore, even if a commercial venue can be effective in compiling, presenting and marketing relevant information, the quality of a university ranking depends on the data collected by public or not-for-profit agencies.