Prestige Matters: How Global Rankings Reshape Public Universities: National, Organisational, and Individual Dynamics in France

This paper explores the influence of international university rankings on public universities. A multiple case study of three French universities examines the nature of this influence at national, organisational, and individual levels. A thematic analysis of interviews using NVivo software showed that the changes, either imposed by new policies or initiated by the university managers, have profoundly altered the traditional values of academia. The paper contributes to the discussion on the effects of quantifying higher education processes and outcomes under the guidelines of global rankings. The novel findings unfold the perception of academics regarding the experienced changes. After describing the current situation in the French higher education system, the paper predicts that universities will engage more actively in the quest for a better position in the future and will consequently accept the rules and norms of rankings. The competition will also amply a stratification among institutions and disciplines in the context of academic capitalism.