On the suitability of imprecise scores for the evaluation of universities

University ranking systems play a crucial role in assessing and comparing the performance of higher education institutions worldwide. These systems typically rely on weighted sum models to compute university scores across various criteria, such as teaching quality, research output, and international engagement. However, the imprecision inherent in some input data and in the assignment of weights often complicates the evaluation process. This paper addresses this issue by exploring the concept of imprecise scores, which avoids the assignment of explicit weights by using a ranking of criteria to generate intervals of possible scores for each university. Using this approach, this study demonstrates the value of preserving imprecision throughout the evaluation process, offering a more transparent and robust method for university ranking. The paper also shows a high agreement between rankings derived from imprecise scores with one from traditional fixed-weight ranking. Through this analysis, we aim to highlight the practical benefits of using imprecise scores in university evaluations and suggest potential avenues for future research.