[Prcmaker]

I'm not 100% up to speed on this as, for the most part, it doesn't impact me as lower-tier research staff. Management is often pushing us for more papers in higher-ranked journals as that seems to be the biggest factor. Student questionnaires seem to be used only internally though even then I suspect they're mostly ignored [anecdotal at best].

The justification we're given for higher ranking is overseas students are more likely to chose a university based on these (domestic students are more likely here to go to whichever university is closest). Due to fee-capping on local students, international students have become a big source of income for universities here. Whether it is accurate to do so or not, the universities keep insisting on higher rankings to attract those students.