LSMU Leaps Scoring Second in the Top 5 Lithuanian Universities
10th issue has just been published by the magazine “Reitingai” presenting institutional rankings of the country’s gymnasiums and schools of higher education. This issue has brought excellent news to the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and the LSMU Gymnasium.
This is the first time LSMU has moved up to the second position (scoring 61.14 points) in the top five list of the leading public universities.
The high ranking of our University is based on the value-added created by the alumni and employer opinion (21.4 of 25 points), students and study process (20.7 of 25 points), and existing and prospective academic staff (7.2 of 10 points). Interestingly, we even surpassed the list’s leader, Vilnius University, by the last criterion. LSMU has ranked third in the top ten public universities by criteria related to Research, Art, and/or Sports activities and highest academic achievements.
The universities were evaluated based on 39 different parameters grouped by five major criteria, with a total of 100 points available. The indicators were calculated using data by the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT), the National Agency for Education (NŠA), the Government Strategic Analysis Center (STRATA), and universities.
” We can aim even higher as the University has set very ambitious goals in its strategic development guidelines,” said Prof. Kęstutis Petrikonis, Vice-Rector for Studies, expressing his satisfaction with the excellent results achieved this year and looking towards the future.
According to the Vice-Rector, it usually takes a few years to implement significant changes, and the rankings tend to lag in terms of representation of actual activities, changes in student numbers, and quality processes. High ratings for the University in the fields of education, research, and the development of a sustainable university in relation to its core activities, i.e. human and animal health, are fairly logical.
“We are also pleased with the highly evaluated research results, as they are the most sustainable. Science already demands certain decisions, innovations, and the application of results. There is real growth in this area as well, as LSMU aims to become a university that generates more scientific output in a few years,” emphasized Prof. K. Petrikonis.
“We are also pleased with the high rating of the research results, as they are the most sustainable. It is already demanded from the research to produce certain decisions, innovations, and applicable results. There is real growth in this area as well, as LSMU aims to become a university that generates greater scientific output in a few years,” emphasized Prof. K. Petrikonis.
The Vice-Rector also noted the important changes taking place on a global scale, such as the rapid growth of practical application of artificial intelligence:
“The product of human intellect and human abilities will remain important, so at the moment, we should focus not on competition among universities but on the competition with artificial intelligence,” noted Prof. K. Petrikonis.
This year’s leap by LSMU was somewhat unexpected for the ranking organizers. During a press conference dedicated to the discussion of this year’s results, Jonė Kučinskaitė, the project manager of the “Reitingai” magazine, noted that LSMU, which placed third last year, seemed relatively small compared to other universities given its specialized character.
“However, in terms of student numbers, LSMU surpasses Kaunas University of Technology and is second only to Vilnius University by the number of teachers. LSMU leads in many parameters,” said J. Kučinskaitė cheerfully.
LSMU Gymnasium also achieved high ratings, securing the third place among the top Lithuanian gymnasiums conducting entrance exams. The gymnasiums were evaluated according to 24 different parameters, including results at the state Matura exams taken by high school graduates in the summer of 2022 and results of high school graduate admission to the country’s universities and foreign higher education institutions.