Higher Education Goals and University Ranking: Random Variables?

University mission determination is involved in higher education outcomes. Although educational goals are a backbone construct for any higher education institution, they are seldom addressed, underestimated, and are hardly considered for calibration in university ratings. The purpose of this exploratory study was to scrutinize universities’ strategic missions and trace any coincidences between them and the university’s academic success materialized as QS rank. Relying on the framework of a descriptive research the author applied the techniques of coding, thematic analysis, comparison, and interpretation. The main findings show that top group universities’ goals representing the liberal values are more focused on individual success and global pursuits than the goals of non-top universities considered. Educational goals of non-top universities are locally marked and have specifics of their own. Hence, strategic goals of universities across the globe may not necessarily coincide with the Anglo-Saxon core values that underpin the QS global university ranking system.