Cultural studies and university rankings: a case study of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)

We offer a Cultural Studies approach-a transdisciplinary field of study critically examining contemporary culture-to illuminate the roles of cultural producers and consumers in mediating the meaning of university rankings amidst a global media landscape. Using the case study of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and drawing on the concepts of a) meaning-making, b) cultural texts, and c) audiencing, we illuminate how QS, as a commercial ranker, aims to 'fix' meanings about quality and excellence in global higher education (HE) through its various outreach efforts. Based on a multi-method analysis of QS' digital texts, specifically a YouTube video and a press release, we demonstrate how interactions between cultural producers and consumers complicate a ranker's efforts to fix and diffuse meanings about HE. We argue that a Cultural Studies approach helps us probe the meaning-making process underlying university rankings amid a digital media culture.