The

University of the West Indies (UWI) has cracked the top 100 Best ‘Golden Age’

universities in the world.

The global university rankings, compiled by Times Higher Education (THE), ranks universities which were created between 1945 and 1967.

The UWI took the number 91 spot, tied with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the United States.

According to THE, the institutions “make up a unique group of higher education institutions that have embedded academic practices but haven’t been around for hundreds of years.”

Vice

Chancellor at the UWI, Sir Hilary Beckles, said “Our astounding performance in

yet another ranking table beseeches the question, again—how does The UWI

maintain its elite ranking located as it is, in an economy that has not seen

sustained economic growth in 30 years?”

He

said the institution’s stakeholder commitment, focused leadership and its staff

are the reason behind its success. “It is no secret that for the greater part

of its existence, The UWI has had to function with a significant measure of

deficit financing as we deliver this public good, which is time and time again

rated as world-class by international ranking standards.”

A

statement by the UWI said, “This latest top 100 ‘Golden Age’ ranking

performance affirms The UWI’s prestige and leadership as it is now a familiar

and consistent name in the Times Higher Education’s rankings, yet remains the

sole Caribbean university on all the lists.”

The UWI has four campuses across the region: Mona, in Jamaica; Cave Hill in Barbados, St Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago; and most recent in Antigua and Barbuda.

The

list was topped by the University of California in the US.