Before applying to college, many high-school seniors consult the U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of American colleges and universities. Now, however, they have another consideration: how their top choice stacks up against universities around the world.

International ranking systems have been gaining prominence, though higher-education experts and Penn administrators say they are not the only way to judge a school.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University and London's Times Higher Education conduct two of the many international rankings, in which schools are ranked based on quality of education, faculty, research output and per capita performance.

Penn ranks 11th on the Times list, but did not make the top 20 for Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Harvard University ranks number one on both lists.

The rise in international school rankings reflects the rise in globalization, Janice Bellace, the chairwoman of the Department of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, wrote in an e-mail.

The new focus is a result of universities considering themselves in the global sphere and students more willing to look beyond the educational opportunities of their home countries.

Ballace also noted that while the "rankings seem to provide a quick, easy answer" to which universities are the best, there tends to be a lot of variability in the results of the different lists. Comparisons are difficult when universities differ in composition and scope.

Still, many officials don't take the rankings too seriously.

University President Amy Gutmann said, "I think it's great that Penn is highly ranked among universities with an international outlook." However, she said, the rankings represent only a microcosm of Penn's activities.

Provost Ron Daniels echoed similar sentiments, writing in an e-mail that the University tries "not to put too much stock in rankings of whatever kind."

Students generally use rankings in the decision-making process, but international rankings are "quite inane," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Devanshi Jalan, a College sophomore originally from India, agreed.

She came to Penn based on its good reputation among peers, rather than its spot on a rankings list, she said.

In addition to enhancing the admissions process, where schools fit into the global education system plays a financial role as well.

For schools in France and Australia, recent rankings have motivated their governments to increase budgets and reallocate funds.

For outside fundraising purposes, however, international ranking hardly plays a pivotal role.

The University's rank in the international sphere has no correlation with fundraising, said Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations John Zeller. While alumni take pride in the success of the organization, rankings do not play a primary role in fundraising.