1. The Department of Soft Science is an institution specializing in higher education evaluation. Its evaluation indicators include academic level, employment rate of graduates, faculty, scientific research strength and so on. Alumni associations are ranked mainly according to the amount of alumni donations and the social reputation of their alma mater. Different from the quantitative evaluation of soft subjects, alumni associations pay more attention to the social reputation of their alma mater and the cohesion of alumni.
2. From the data and indicators, the evaluation indicators of soft subjects are more comprehensive and diversified, not limited to a single evaluation, which also leads to a more objective and comprehensive ranking result of soft subjects. The ranking of alumni association pays more attention to the social reputation of alma mater and the cohesion of alumni, so the ranking result is more subjective and one-sided. In addition, the evaluation index of soft science can be quantified, and the acquisition and processing of data are easier and more accurate. The evaluation index of alumni association is more difficult to quantify, and the acquisition and processing of data is more difficult and uncertain.
3. From the word of mouth, the evaluation results of soft science are also more recognized. Many universities and institutions recognize and use the evaluation results of soft disciplines as a reference for the development of their own schools or disciplines. However, the evaluation results of the alumni association have been questioned and criticized, and its authority has been tested.
4. Shanghai Soft Science Education Information Consulting Co., Ltd. (referred to as Soft Science) is the leading higher education evaluation institution in the world. Soft science has a number of rankings with far-reaching influence and high industry recognition at home and abroad. Academic ranking of world universities, first published in 2003, is one of the most influential and authoritative university rankings in the world, and is officially reported by top universities in the world, such as Cambridge University and Stanford University. The University of Manchester, the University of Western Australia and other top 100 universities in the world also set the promotion of ARWU ranking as a clear goal of the school's strategic planning. China University Ranking (formerly the best university ranking in China), China Best Discipline Ranking and World-class Discipline Ranking published by the Ministry of Soft Science every year have attracted the attention and reports of authoritative domestic media such as People's Daily, Guangming Daily and China Education News, and the objectivity and persuasiveness of ranking indicators and methods have been highly recognized by famous domestic higher education experts.