This article explores the role of university rankings in enhancing the quality of higher education, with a focus on aligning it with the needs of learners, employers, and other stakeholders. The study investigates the relationship between rankings and the diversity of stakeholders interested in higher education quality. Rankings are viewed as an institutional mechanism for upgrading higher education quality while satisfying the interests of stakeholders. The study identifies two important methodological approaches to improve rankings within the research objectives. Firstly, it suggests using the legal framework and the customer-focused approach of the ISO 9000 standards system to determine higher education quality. Secondly, a detailed analysis of stakeholders and their interests is proposed as a basis for enhancing education quality. It is recommended to strengthen the interaction of rankings with different stakeholder groups while maintaining the objectivity of the ranking. In summary, the proposed approaches provide a more sophisticated theoretical and legal framework that allows for the organic integration of education quality into global frameworks for assessing the quality of all goods and services. The results obtained have practical significance, as they can facilitate the effectiveness of university rankings in improving higher education quality.