The latest QS World University Rankings for 2015/2016, released earlier this week, placed National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in the 12th and 13th spots respectively. This is the first time both Singapore universities have risen to be among the top 15 in the world.

NUS jumped 10 spots to be in the 12th position while NTU shot from 39th to 13th in this year’s global university rankings by QS. This exceptional performance, partly due to a modified methodology QS adopted this year, placed them ahead of some Ivy League schools such as Yale, Cornell, UPenn and many UK universities. The only four UK universities in the top 15 are Cambridge, Oxford, UCL and Imperial.

While institutions may not always like league tables or approve their methodology, these tables are definitely here to stay. And to some students and parents, ranking is an important factor when choosing their university. Parents always want to send their children to the best university they can get admittance.

Therefore when reaching out to the local students, it may be important to highlight some of the good results that your institution have. In addition, it is useful to point out the general benefits of studying abroad, which may not be that easily gained if they choose to stay in Singapore, at these highly ranked universities.