Rankings and ratings dominate this world. People like them because they help outsiders understand what is going on in industries. When it comes to education the situation gets trickier. There are many different national, global or even local rankings which could be very confusing.

The MIM-Kyiv was recently ranked among top 300 business schools globally by the Eduniversal, universities global ranking agency. Prof. Iryna Tykhomyrova, president of the MIM-Kyiv explains everything about rankings and what it means for the school as well.
Ukrainian business schools claim that their education is similar to their peers’ from abroad. Although no international rankings have Ukrainian schools. Why so?
The most reputable international rankings are the Forbes’s and the Fanatical Times’s. The main criteria for those rankings are alumni salaries before and after the degree. However, those rankings are limited geographically. Eastern European schools or Latin American schools are hardly comparable. They offer a quality product and are well-reputable. They may even have a stronger impact on their national or regional economies compared to the ranked schools. E.g. neither FT nor Forbes ranking has a Monterrey school from Mexico because salaries in Mexico are considerably lower than in the US and UK. It is clear that such region as Latin America or Eastern Europe cannot be entered on the ranking because the salaries, main criteria, do not work for them because of currency rates, “grey” salaries and overall salaries level.
Which criteria are applicable to Ukrainian business schools?
The Eduniversal says that they trust people who work in business education. Deans vote is one of the most important criteria in their assessment. Each of the 9 geographies has its quote or number of schools which could be shown on the ranking. All deans from the region have access to the special platform for voting. The platform has all the necessary information about the schools, their websites, etc. there are 6,000 business schools worldwide. After all 6 thousand deans vote 1,000 schools are selected for the next stage. That thousand is distributed among the Palme Leagues. At this stage, its International Scientific Committee assesses the quality of the schools. They take into account a lot of factors: accreditations which are the key indicator, membership in the associations meaning that the school is known and recognized by the peers. They also assess schools’ impact on the academia, regional and national policies and economy. The indicators here are research projects, publications, conferences, etc. After that schools are put into one of 5 Palmes leagues. There are 100 5 Palmes schools, 200 4 Palmes schools, 400 3 Palmes schools, 200 2 Palmes schools and 100 1 Palmes schools. Each league has its name reflecting the schools' influence.
What does MIM-Kyiv’s place in the Eduniversal ranking mean?
The MIM-Kyiv has become the only Ukrainian and regional school in the 4 Palmes League which means “Top Business School with significant international influence”. We wanted to an international school in Ukraine and we did it. Our internationality is proved by our programs which meet all international standards and account for the regional characteristics and our alumni community who work worldwide. Our students’ body is also becoming more diverse – we have students from Moldova, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc. It means that the MIM-Kyiv is becoming the regional educational hub. We are developing our partners' network. Ours is probably one of the best in the region. We have the long-term partnership with many global players. Recently we visited Eduniversal conference in Australia and forged very important partnerships with the RISEBA from Riga and ISM from Vilnius. Three of us make a consortium which represents the region and makes all of us more visible.
People from the business education industry understand the role of Eduniversal agency. What about students? Do they care?
In most countries, business education is one of the national priorities. The best business schools are supported by their governments. Our reality is different. Our Ministry of Education excluded MBA degree from its qualifications register. The irony is that our government recognizes masters of public administration but not masters of business administration. Doesn’t it reflect what’s going on in the country? Economies are enrooted in good entrepreneurs and administrators. People can make or break any reform and idea. People need to be managed and motivated.
When a country does not have its own business education standards and quality assurance system, international standards, rankings, and associations provide those. The Eduniversal ranking confirms that the MIM-Kyiv offers educational services comparable with any other business education industry-known business school.
May our government pay any attention to the business-education after such a breakthrough?
We would love to! When we were awarded during the Eduniversal World Convention the Edunivedrsal CEO greeted Ukraine rather than merely the MIM-Kyiv. He especially mentioned that this award special meaning because it proves the vicinity of the industry. Improving educational ranking in the country at war is a unique situation. So far, the MIM-Kyiv is one of the 300 world’s best schools and one of 15 in Eastern Europe. It means that we have a region-wide reach. Here we are in the 4 Palmes League striving for the 5 Palmes of Excellence.