The University of Navarra appears this year for the first time among the 400 most prestigious institutions of higher education in the world in the Times World University ranking, published by the Times and Thomson Reuters. The University of Navarra is also the private university of reference in Spain, where it ranks fifth in absolute terms, behind only four public universities.

The study, which covers the more than 17,000 universities and colleges that exist in the world, places the University of Navarra between 351st and 400th place worldwide. It especially highlights its relationship with the business world and its international vocation, as well as underlining its position as a "benchmark private higher education institution" in Spain.

The only public universities ahead of the University of Navarra are Pompeu Fabra, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Madrid.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2013-2014 is a ranking global ranking of universities that systematically evaluates the "world's most relevant institutions" through its key indicators: teaching, research, knowledge transfer to society and internationality. The ranking "takes into account 13 carefully calibrated indicators to reflect the most comprehensive and balanced comparison possible and takes into account the opinions of students, academics, university leaders, employers and governments."

The School of Communication, ranked among the 51-100 best in the world

The international recognition from the Times Rankings comes two weeks after the QS University Ranking 2013 also ranked the University of Navarra as a private higher education institution of reference in Spain. On that scale it was ranked sixth in absolute terms in Spain, second only to public universities, and 315th in the world, an increase of 44 places over the previous year.

By fields of knowledge, the Faculty of Communication, which for the first time broke into the 51-100 bracket of the best in the world, and the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Philosophy, which repeated their positions in the 151-200 bracket, were particularly noteworthy.

The methodology used by QS University Ranking takes into account aspects such as the quality and quantity of university research, teaching, graduate employability, facilities and campus, degree of internationality, innovation, the institution's contribution to social welfare in its environment and accessibility, in terms of both financial aid and facilities for people with disabilities.