Rookies Global School Rankings®: A Comprehensive Guide

At The Rookies, we recognise that a school's reputation is a cornerstone for attracting top-tier talent and securing vital funding. That's why we've developed the Rookies Global School Rankings®, a well-regarded and reliable ranking system grounded in student performance.

A Ranking System Like No Other

Our rankings stand apart in their foundation – they are built upon the quality and excellence of student work produced within the school environment. Rather than relying on traditional metrics, we assess each institution based on the creative and technical prowess displayed by their students.

The Rookies World School Rankings® are not like other education based ranking systems. They are driven and judged by industry professionals without the interference of paid advertising dollars that cloud the judgement of other ranking sites • Scott Thompson, founder of Think Tank Training Centre.

The Data Collection Process

Our data collection process is robust and dynamic. We invite students to submit their finest work to the Rookie Awards, which undergoes rigorous evaluation by a distinguished industry panel. Each year, we receive submissions from over 500 schools worldwide, amounting to approximately 5,000 portfolios. This wealth of submissions provides us with an intricate and insightful dataset.

Beyond Conventional Rankings

We firmly believe that conventional ranking systems fall short in assessing the best creative schools and colleges. Industries like Visual Effects, Feature Animation, and Games demand a more nuanced approach due to their technical and creative nature.

To uphold this standard, each student portfolio is meticulously reviewed by a panel of over 150 esteemed industry veterans. The review process hinges on criteria such as creative skills, technical finesse, presentation, skill variety, complexity, raw talent, and employment potential.

The Rookies World School Rankings® are the most important student award and ranking globally as it has a credibility that others just don’t have. It uses industry to assess and judge student work and discounts for any school flooding the awards with entries. - Darryn Melrose, former Chief Executive of Media Design School

Celebrate Your Achievements with Official Badges, Certificates and Trophies

Stand out and gain recognition with the official Rookie Awards badges. Our badges serve as symbols of excellence within the creative industry and can augment lead generation by up to 4 times when integrated into your school's website or promotional materials.

From honorable mentions to top rankings, we offer badges tailored to various creative industries. These badges can be proudly displayed on your website, email signature, or social media profiles, underscoring your institution's commitment to nurturing and acknowledging emerging talent.

Elevating Reputation, Exposure and Engagement

Enhanced Visibility: A top-tier ranking amplifies your school's visibility on a global scale. A higher ranking signals to prospective students that your institution is a prime destination for quality education and industry connections. This heightened exposure can not only attract increased attention from potential students, but also from parents, and industry players, leading to a greater number of high quality applications and inquiries, contributing to a dynamic and competitive learning environment.

Recognition: A top-ranking establishes your school as a frontrunner in creative education. Industry stakeholders, including employers and professionals, take note of schools with outstanding rankings, leading to increased partnerships, collaborations, and networking opportunities. This can result in increased job and internship opportunities, as employers are keen to tap into the talent pool of schools that excel in the rankings.

Motivating Achievement: A higher ranking fosters a sense of pride among your current students and alumni. They become more engaged with school activities, contributing to a vibrant creative community that benefits both personal growth and professional networking. It also confirms your school's dedication to nurturing these successful creatives.

Frequent Questions

What distinguishes our ranking system from conventional methods?

Unlike many other ranking systems that rely on traditional metrics like school size or faculty-to-student ratios, we take a unique approach. Our rankings are driven and judged by hundreds of industry professionals who review students' digital art portfolios. This provides an accurate and industry-relevant evaluation of students' skills, making our rankings especially meaningful for creative fields. We believe that for creative industries, traditional metrics always fall short, which is why our system prioritises the most critical aspect — how well schools prepare their students for entry level jobs.

How do you rank schools?

We employ a rigorous and equitable process to assess and rank creative and technical schools worldwide. Our rankings primarily rely on the individual performance of students representing each institution. Students undergo meticulous reviews, and their work is assigned a performance score, capped at 100 points. To determine a school's overall standing, we calculate the median student score, a fair measure that represents the middle point in a set of scores. We then reward excellence by granting bonus points to students designated as finalists, highly commended, runners-up, or winners in each category. This approach guarantees that our rankings are rooted in student skills and talents rather than school size or other biases, providing a transparent and impartial assessment of creative institutions.

Can schools pay to influence their rankings?

No, schools cannot pay to influence their rankings. We do not accept advertising money for any aspects related to rankings, ensuring that our assessments remain unbiased and fair. Additionally, entries submitted by students to the Rookie Awards are entirely free of charge, eliminating any potential favoritism related to social or economic factors.

What criteria are used to assess student work in the rankings?

The assessment of student work in our rankings is based on a multi-faceted approach. We consider various criteria, including creative skills, technical proficiency, presentation quality, the diversity of skills demonstrated, project complexity, raw talent, and employment potential. This comprehensive evaluation ensures that the rankings provide a well-rounded perspective on students' readiness for creative and technical roles in their respective fields.

Do schools need to apply to be included in the rankings?

No, schools do not need to apply to be considered for the rankings. We automatically evaluate schools based on the performance of their students in our annual Rookie Awards, making our rankings open and inclusive.

Do the rankings favour schools with more students?

Our rankings do not favour schools with larger student populations. Our ranking system is designed to be impartial and fair, regardless of school size. The rankings are based on objective criteria, such as the Median Student Scores, which reflects the capabilities of students, not the size of the school. Additionally, our use of carefully balanced bonus points ensures that recognition is fairly distributed among all schools, regardless of their student population. Our commitment is to provide a level playing field where every school has an equal opportunity to excel and be recognised for its students' achievements.

How many students from each school need to enter?

The number of students required from each school to enter varies depending on the category. On average, we require around 12 students to participate from each school, for each category. Our goal is to ensure a fair representation of student work across all disciplines, and we encourage schools to engage a suitable number of students based on the specific category requirements.

Can schools cheat by selecting only their best students?

Our ranking system is designed to be fair and transparent. We encourage and incentivise all students to participate, making it extremely challenging for schools to limit their participation. Additionally, we only accept entries directly from students, ensuring that administrators or faculty members cannot submit entries on their behalf.

A student made a mistake, will their score impact their rankings?

If a student makes a mistake in their submission, it typically won't significantly impact the overall results. We take into account the quality of each submission as a whole and consider various factors in our evaluation. Additionally, we exclude outliers, such as entries with broken content or obvious errors, to ensure fairness.

Do the rankings include online schools?

We embrace all types of educational facilities, including online schools, campus-based institutions, and hybrid models. Our rankings encompass a diverse range of education providers from across the globe.

Tips and Best Practices for Success

For Students

Showcase Your Strengths: Focus on your most exceptional work, presenting it to highlight your skills and talents.

Attention to Detail: Ensure your submission is error-free and showcases meticulous attention to detail.

Seek Feedback: Prior to submission, seek feedback from peers, instructors, or industry professionals to refine your work.

Follow Guidelines: Understand and adhere closely to submission guidelines and requirements.

For Schools

Create Portfolios: Help your students create portfolios to get them familiar with our tools and processes.

Promote Collaboration: Encourage students to work together on projects and to collaborate with other students and professionals in the industry.

Schedule a Webinar Session: Encourage students to attend one of our webinar sessions where we provide helpful tips for creating a winning submission.

Promote the Awards: Spread the word about The Rookies Awards across your school by putting up our posters and sharing information on social media.

Join us in this remarkable journey to recognise and elevate creative education through Rookies Global School Rankings. Your contributions reshape the future of creative industries, one talented student at a time.