Empowering and enabling  motivated students across the globe to fulfil their potential through educational achievements, international mobility and career development is at the heart of the QS I-GAUGE mission. 

The strategic and systematic management of quality improvement in higher education requires comprehensive and tangible performance data and ideally, reliable benchmarks for peer-group comparisons. This is exactly what the QS I-GAUGE rating process delivers without compromising the character and standards of this noble process. 

QS I-GAUGE is a brand incorporated in India as an independent private-sector initiative specialising in  rating colleges, schools and  universities. It brings together the global expertise, experience and reputation of UK-based (QS) Quacquarelli Symonds, along with deep local knowledge of luminaries from Indian education.

Private and uncompromised rating system

Based on the globally recognised QS STARS University Rating System developed by Quacquarelli Symonds, QS I-GAUGE  has been adapted to capture the reality of the dynamic Indian education sector, while at the same time maintaining the strict quality standards that are synonymous with the QS brand.

Unlike most rating institutions that may be affected by bias and external factors, we are independent and we believe in a comprehensive and an independent rating system for Indian colleges, universities and schools. Consisting of some major core and advanced criteria, ranging from Teaching and Learning, Employability and Social Responsibility to Research and Innovation. QS I-GAUGE rating provides a unique 360-degree perspective for Indian institutions of higher learning.

By conducting what amounts to an institutional audit based on global standards but bench-marked against the performance of Indian peers, the leadership of a university or college gains concrete data on its performance through QS I-GAUGE. Sometimes that data does not match with management’s expectations, and sometimes it highlights hidden strengths that the institutional leadership was initially unaware of. But in all cases, it provides a foundation for further institutional transformation and upgrading.

We function as an institutional scorecard, and institutions receive a detailed and confidential report on their strengths and weaknesses, providing a roadmap for their further development. As the QS I-GAUGE rating is reassessed every 2 years it is an invaluable tool for institutional research and planning.

QS I-GAUGE as a Tool for Institutional Branding

The QS brand is synonymous with quality and independence. It is trusted globally by students, their parents and a diverse set of other stakeholders, including the government, the corporate sector and other universities. Therefore, institutions that undergo our rating send a strong signal to their various audiences: that they take their performance seriously and that they are open and transparent about their data, allowing an external evaluation by QS. Although many institutions will not gain top scores in every category, the QS I-GAUGE process allows institutions to highlight the categories in which they are particularly strong.

Institutions that successfully complete the QS I-GAUGE rating are licensed to use the rating results (and its various registered and trademarked logos) for a period of 2 years on all their websites and publications. This allows institutions to communicate their ratings in a highly effective way, building credibility for their own brand while informing their target audiences. Institutions will also be listed on the QS I-GAUGE website.

Privacy and confidentiality

At QS IGAUGE, data privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance. Once the institution is on-board for the audit, there is a dedicated research analyst allotted for the audit and even the sales team is not involved in audit-related communication to ensure an honest and unbiased audit process. The client/institutions’ data is stored in a secure business cloud storage space and only the analyst team has access to the data. The contractual obligation between QS I-GAUGE and the client/institution includes a ‘’confidentiality clause’’ in the agreement that ensures complete data privacy.

Each year brings us more opportunities to connect with those learners and leaders who are changing the face of higher and school education around the world. We recognise the passion and potential of the sector and are continually adapting and innovating to ensure we remain a trusted partner.

Our unrivalled insights and expertise enable our university partners to take a data-driven approach, to underpin their strategic thinking with the billions of data points generated through our global network of employers, academics and prospective students. Whatever their strategic ambitions, we partner with universities and business schools to establish and achieve their goals.

QS IGAUGE School Ratings were launched in August 2020. As of now, we have multiple audits under progress with schools from Maharashtra, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. As per our agreement policy, we cannot reveal the names of the institutions that are currently undergoing the audit as we require their consent to publish the results. The results of certified schools are available on our website.