Comparing universities: what to compare, and how to read the result
The Students Hub comparison tool puts two universities from the platform’s directory head to head on a single screen: student ratings with their detailed criteria, the number of faculties, departments, and majors, and each university’s size, founding year, type, and location. It is free, needs no account, and any result can be shared as a single link.
What the comparison puts in front of you
Rating & reputation
Each university’s average student rating out of 5 and the number of ratings behind it, plus an expandable panel that breaks the score into its criteria: teaching quality, instructors, buildings and facilities, the registration process, student activities, library, internet, transport, safety, student services, university life, and more. Only criteria where at least one of the two universities has data are shown.
Academic structure
How many faculties, departments, and majors each university runs, with the gap between the two spelled out. These numbers measure breadth, and they are the starting point for checking whether a university even offers the field you have in mind.
Overall context
Student count and founding year, alongside each university’s type (public, private, national, international), location, and logo in its header card. If you arrive after taking the Holland test, an extra row counts the majors at each university that match your code.
The axes that deserve weight in your decision
Start from the program, not the name
A university can be strong in one faculty and weak in another. If your field is settled, the real question is which of the two teaches it and how well — not which is bigger. Use the faculties and departments counts to check the field exists at all, then open the university page and browse its faculties and majors one by one.
Read the rating together with the rating count
A 4.6 from five reviews is not a 4.2 from two hundred. That is why the comparison shows both numbers. Open the criteria panel too: two universities can tie on the overall average while one leads on teaching quality and the other on facilities and transport — and that split is what you will feel day to day.
Location and university type are lifestyle decisions
Where the campus sits decides your daily commute and whether you need housing, and the type (public, private, national, international) shapes admission, fees, and campus culture. Both appear in each university’s header card at the top of the comparison, but only you can decide how much weight they carry.
Fees and accreditation: verify these off-platform
The comparison carries neither tuition nor accreditation status, and both are settled at the source: the university’s admissions office, the higher-education authority, and the accrediting body for your specific program. When you price a degree, do not stop at the credit-hour fee — add books, extra faculty charges, transport, and housing across all the years of study.
How to read the summary card
Above the comparison table, a summary card counts how many of six numeric measures each university leads on: rating, number of ratings, faculties, departments, majors, and student count. Whichever leads on more is flagged as ahead. Treat it as a quick tally, not a judgment on teaching quality: every measure counts as exactly one point no matter how large the gap, and the rating is weighted no more heavily than the student count. If your decision hangs on a single program, or on how close the campus is to home, the university behind on the tally may still be your right answer.
Frequently asked questions about comparing universities
How do I compare two universities properly?
Start from what matters to you rather than to everyone else: if you already have a major in mind, the faculty that teaches it matters more than the university’s overall name. Then compare on measurable axes — ratings left by current students and graduates, how many faculties, departments, and majors the university runs, its size and founding year, its type (public, private, national, or international), and where it sits relative to where you live. The comparison tool puts those numbers for two universities side by side on one screen instead of making you gather them from two different websites.
What exactly does the university comparison show?
The comparison is grouped into three sections: Rating & Reputation (average student rating out of 5 and the number of ratings, plus an expandable per-criterion breakdown), Academic Structure (faculties, departments, and majors counts), and Overall Context (student count and founding year). Each university also gets a header card with its logo, location, and type. A summary card on top shows which of the two leads on more of these measures.
Does the comparison show tuition or credit-hour fees?
No. Fee data is not part of the comparison, and we do not publish numbers we cannot verify — fees differ between faculties inside the same university and change every year. For an accurate figure, ask the university’s admissions office directly, and budget the full cost rather than the per-credit fee alone: books, extra faculty charges, daily transport, and housing if the campus is far from your city.
Does the comparison show whether a university is accredited?
The comparison has no accreditation or licensing field. Accreditation is an official matter decided by the higher-education authority and by the specialist accrediting bodies for each program, and the right source for it is the university’s own documentation and the awarding body — not a student platform. What this tool gives you instead is the university as its students experience it, plus the shape of its academic structure.
Where do the student ratings come from?
Ratings are written by current students and graduates on each university’s page on the platform, and each rater scores the university on specific criteria such as teaching quality, instructors, buildings and facilities, the registration process, student activities, the library, internet, transport, safety, and university life. The average you see in the comparison is built from those ratings, so the more ratings a university has, the more the number tells you.
What does it mean when one university "leads" in the summary card?
The summary card simply counts how many of six numeric measures each university is ahead on: rating, number of ratings, faculties, departments, majors, and student count. It is a tally, not a verdict on teaching quality, and it does not weight one measure above another. If your decision hinges on a single program, the university that "loses" the tally may still be the right one for you.
Is a university with more majors a better university?
Not necessarily. The majors count tells you how broad a university is, not how strong it is in your subject. A university offering dozens of programs can be average in the one you want, while a smaller one can be the strongest choice for it. Use the faculties and departments counts to gauge breadth, then drop down to the program level and compare study plans and instructor ratings before you decide.
Do I need an account to use the comparison tool?
No. The comparison is free and works without signing in. Pick two universities, press compare, and the result appears immediately.
Can I share a comparison with someone else?
Yes. The page URL carries the codes of the two universities you selected, and there is a button to copy that link. Anyone who opens it sees the same comparison loaded straight away — useful when you are talking options over with family or friends.
Which universities can I compare?
You can compare any two universities listed in the platform’s university directory. The directory is still growing, so if your university does not appear in the search box you can suggest adding it, and you can review what is currently available from the directory page.
Does the comparison connect universities to the major that suits me?
It does when you reach the comparison after taking the Holland career interest test. In that case the comparison adds a row showing how many majors at each university match your Holland code. If you open the page directly, that row does not appear, because the tool does not yet know your interests.
What is the difference between comparing universities and comparing majors?
Comparing universities answers "where do I study?" by putting two whole institutions head to head. Comparing majors answers "what do I study?" by putting two programs head to head. The practical order is: work out your interests first, then compare majors, then compare the universities that offer the major you settled on.
Where to go next: the university directory to browse each university’s page, faculties, and reviews, the major comparison to weigh two programs against each other, and the Holland career interest test if you have not settled on a field yet.