The CHE UniversityRanking, first published 1998, is the most comprehensive and detailed ranking of German higher education institutions. It includes 35 subjects and therefore serves more than three-quarters of all first-year higher education students. In addition to facts about study programmes, teaching, equipment, and research, the ranking also includes the assessments of 250,000 students on the study conditions at their HEI as well as an evaluation of the reputation of the departments by professors of the individual subjects. Since its launch, the CHE UniversityRanking has always provided fair, informative and qualified information for both the primary target group of first-year students, existing students, and for HEIs. All results are freely available on the Internet under
Results (Ergebnisse des HochschulRankings).

In 1998, the CHE published its first ranking in co-operation with Stiftung Warentest. The first ranking analysed business administration and chemistry programmes. In subsequent years, the range of subjects analysed has been continually expanded. From 1999 until 2004, the ranking was issued with the German magazine stern. Since 2005 it has been published by the German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT. The CHE's is responsible for conception, data collection and analysis. The co-operation partner DIE ZEIT is in charge of publication, sales and marketing.