NEW CHAMPION: Visitors observe a high-speed camera developed in 1996 by Zhejiang University at its school history exhibition room on May 22, 2010 (XINHUA)

Wu disclaimed the doubt, saying the rankings use completely clear and open indicators and data sources. "The results can be repeatedly tested, which will ensure there were, are and will not be under-the-counter deals involved," he said.

Wu said his rankings list was the only one of its kind in China that made public the original data and compilation process. He said his team had collected a large number of data issued by various educational institutions.

Put aside the technical flaws, side effects of the university rankings have come in for criticism since they were first made. "The rankings are like a sword hanging over university presidents who have to plan and develop their schools in accordance with the standards of ranking indicators to get a better result. Thus many universities began to resemble each other and lose their features," Xu Zhihong, former President of Peking University, said.

Some university presidents contend the rankings have polluted the academic atmosphere. They are also worried about the worst possibility that school rankings would be turned into something like the notorious practice of "paid listing," which is prevailing in the Internet search engine business.

Many universities have also downplayed the significance of the university rankings.

Sichuan University in southwest China made 10th place on Wu's rankings and 12th place on another university rankings list issued by the Chinese Alumnus Association this year.

A spokesman of Sichuan University said the school didn't care much about its rankings. He said a ranking was just an evaluation by a certain agency and was sometimes biased and not entirety scientific. These rankings, he said, were for the reference of parents only.

Ways to improve

"The core of university rankings is actually about school evaluation," Li Shoufu, a professor at the Institute of International and Comparative Education of Beijing Normal University, said. "Now students' choices of universities are varied and selective, which to the best reflects their individual needs. Universities in China used to be in an absolute positive position to choose students, but now students can choose what universities they want to go to using university rankings as reference. This is why the public is so interested in such rankings."

Li said evaluation of universities was a propeller to facilitate the teaching and researching level of higher education.

"Higher education, as an important part of modern society, receives large amounts of investment, and is supposed to produce talented people with high-quality research achievements. Only through scientific evaluation can the achievements of colleges be seen. In this way, their rankings are crucial to the development of the universities," he said.

Scientific university evaluation could help diagnose problems in a school's teaching, research and management systems and exploit its potential, Liu Yao, a professor at Zhejiang Normal University, said.

In China, there are government-led university evaluation programs. However, their formality and outdated methods have all been blamed for a long time. Worse still, since the programs are conducted by education authorities, it is believed a reflection of bureaucratic interference in education. Some university presidents have persistently argued the good or bad of a university is better judged by society instead of the government.

It's already a consensus that university evaluation is definitely needed, but the question is who should be responsible for conducting such evaluations. The government-led mode is blamed for its defects and the third-party agencies so far are leaving their credibility to be questioned.

Education experts suggest borrowing the practice of the United States, which is good at strict and scientific university rankings. The rankings maker should have a list of universities that are sorted out by certain standards and principles that can be measured by the compilers. In addition, the compilers should arrange the universities in order in a quantitative way. And, at last, the rankings' methods and data sources must be made public.

Wu Shulian's Rankings of Top 10 Chinese Universities in Comprehensive Strength

1. Zhejiang University

2. Peking University

3. Tsinghua University

4. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

5. Fudan University

6. Nanjing University

7. Sun Yat-sen University

8. Wuhan University

9. Huazhong University of Science and Technology

10. Sichuan University

(Source: Picking Your University and Choosing Your Major—A Guide to Filling in the 2011 College Entrance Exam)