The new issue is devoted to global university rankings and divided into three sections. The first one discusses university rankings, becoming more and more influential, which causes endless discussions regarding their role in the development of higher education. The second part includes articles dedicated to the prospects of the universities. The authors have analyzed the efforts and challenges related to the development of universities’ international performance in several countries and regions. The third part contains case-studies of excellence initiatives, among them are cases describing Ural Federal University and Far Eastern Federal University.