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Times Higher Education
Times Higher Education grew out of a newspaper supplement launched in 1971 before becoming a standalone publication in 2004.
Times Higher Education
Times Higher Education grew out of a newspaper supplement launched in 1971 before becoming a standalone publication in 2004. CEO Paul Howarth, appointed in 2015, oversaw its acquisition by Inflexion Private Equity in 2019 before a consortium led by the founder of the Russian-language education publication Textterra acquired it in 2025 for a reported enterprise value above £100 million. The firm now operates as a privately held data and services company, retaining an editorial team that produces daily journalism on higher education. THE's core monetization comes from three streams: university rankings, which use 18 performance indicators and charge institutions for consultancy to improve their scores; a branded events portfolio with flagship summits in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; and data analytics sold to university administrators and government ministries. The 2024 World University Rankings assessed over 1,900 institutions globally, and the firm has expanded into impact rankings that evaluate universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Campus real-estate advisory and in-house counsel-facing data products have widened the revenue base beyond publishing. The firm employs roughly 300 staff across its London headquarters and regional editorial hubs in the US, Singapore, and Australia. In 2023 THE launched a dedicated US research center and deepened partnerships with organizations like the World Bank to validate its data methodology. Its events business runs the annual World Academic Summit, hosted in 2024 at the University of Manchester, attracting over 600 university presidents and chief administrators. THE's structural differentiator is the dual identity of a credible journalistic outlet and a commercial rankings provider — universities both buy its data services and rely on its editorial coverage. The separation between editorial and commercial operations is governed by an independent editorial board, though the influence of rankings on institutional strategy worldwide makes that boundary uniquely contentious in the education sector.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2004
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
United Kingdom
City
London
Corporate office
London, United Kingdom
Principals
Paul Howarth
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Times Higher Education generate revenue from university rankings?
THE charges universities for consultancy services that help institutions understand and improve their ranking performance, often through data benchmarks and institutional diagnostic reports. The firm also licenses its ranking brand to institutions for marketing purposes and sells institutional data subscriptions to governments and university administrators. Events sponsorships tied to rankings announcements contribute additional revenue, particularly for the Asia and Middle East summits.
Who owns Times Higher Education?
A consortium led by the founder of the Russian-language education publication Textterra acquired THE in February 2025, according to Sky News. Before that, the firm was owned by UK private equity group Inflexion, which had held it since 2019. THE was originally part of TPG Capital's portfolio after being divested from News Corporation in 2005.
What is the relationship between THE's editorial operations and its commercial rankings business?
THE maintains a formal separation between its journalism division and its rankings and consulting arm. An independent editorial board governs editorial content, though external observers periodically question the firewall when the outlet covers universities that are also rankings clients. The firm publicly states that commercial relationships do not influence its World University Rankings methodology.
Does THE compete directly with QS World University Rankings?
Yes, THE and QS were partners on a joint rankings publication until 2010, when THE partnered with Thomson Reuters for data and later with Elsevier. Since the split, the two firms compete on methodology — THE uses 18 performance indicators compared to QS's emphasis on reputation surveys. Both sell consultancy and brand-licensing services to the same university clients.
What data does THE collect beyond university rankings?
THE gathers institutional performance data covering teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry income across its ranked universities. It also collects data for its Impact Rankings tied to UN Sustainable Development Goals, and through its subscription products, universities and governments can access benchmarking datasets on research output, funding, and student demographics.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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