Photo: AFP
The best universities in the country have been ranked, with the University of Auckland coming out on top.
QS rankings place the University of Auckland ahead of the rest at 82nd best in the world. The other seven universities ranked between 173 and 490, with all of them, except Otago, improving their placing.
The organisation that represents universities, Universities New Zealand, said the improvement was partly because this year's ranking puts less weight on research citations in medicine and the life sciences.
But its chief executive, Chris Whelan, said the universities had improved in other measurements, including a score based on their reputation among foreign academics.
“The academic reputation gain is important at a time when we are competing for staff and students in a hugely competitive international marketplace,” says Whelan.
He says that over the previous five years, the country's eight universities dropped by an average of 25 places in the QS rankings.
“This is mainly due to the funding per student being far below that received by other international universities.”
He warned that New Zealand institutions would not be able to maintain their placings in the rankings without more funding.
The QS ranking placed the University of Auckland 82nd in the world, Otago at 173, Canterbury 211, Victoria 229, Massey 337, Waikato 338, Lincoln 373, and Auckland University of Technology 481-490.
A version of this story was first published on radionz.co.nz.
