Global university rankings seek to illustrate the performance of institutions on an international level and are used by many institutions to help them to reach strategic goals, as such, they have become synonymous to some as an indicator of quality and desirability. As global university rankings become further embedded as a basis on which students, universities, faculty and policy-makers make decisions on their future, the question of whether institutions from across the globe with their own nuances, strengths and ambitions can be considered truly comparable remains relevant. Following the widespread focus on becoming a 'globally successful' institution, numerous countries have launched initiatives to incite ambitions to become 'top-ranking'. The Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan launched a series of funding opportunities to assist institutions to become globally recognised, an ambition that they have now achieved. By focusing on the context of Taiwan, this short Forum article discusses the difficulties that excellence initiatives may encounter due to the partisan nature of a system which seeks to compare institutions situated in unique contexts with unique histories and perspectives, whilst also acknowledging that such ambitions can create a focus and framework which may be of benefit to the institutions and nations within which they are situated.