Comparative Analysis of the Academic Performance of Research Universities in Türkiye Using MCDM Techniques

With the increase in the number of universities in recent years, university rankings, which evaluate the success and development of universities, have become significantly important. These rankings are determined by various parameters and their corresponding weights, established through an inter-university ranking system based on verifiable data used for academic evaluation. The rapid rise of universities in global rankings is driven by growing academic, student, and parent interest. However, these rankings often fail to reflect the true desires of students and do not always adequately measure academic productivity. This study aims to determine the steps Turkish universities should take to improve their standing in these ranking systems, using both global and national data. In the research, the academic performance of 20 research universities in Türkiye in 2022 was evaluated and compared based on the weight of 8 criteria. The criterion weights were calculated using the Entropy method, and performance rankings were calculated using the PROMETHEE method. The results were presented in a table showing the performance rankings of these universities across the 8 criteria, and the competitive priorities of the universities were interpreted in relation to their performances. The study found that, among the eight criteria determining the performance of research universities in Türkiye, the criterion with the highest weight was the number of faculty members per student, while the criterion with the lowest weight was the number of citations. The academic performance rankings of the 20 Turkish research universities were as follows: Hacettepe, Gazi, Ege, İstanbul, Ankara, Cerrahpaşa, İTÜ, Gebze Teknik, METU, Dokuz Eylül, KTÜ, Atatürk, İzmir Yüksek Teknoloji, Boğaziçi, Marmara, Fırat, Erciyes, Yıldız Teknik, Çukurova, and Uludağ universities.