AUT sneaks into list of top unis

The Auckland University of Technology. Photo / Richard Robinson

Auckland University of Technology has for the first time appeared on a list of the top universities in the world.

Results from this year's QS World University Rankings - revealed worldwide today - show New Zealand universities making the list, and AUT featured for the first time since it was established 12 years ago.

The annual survey ranks institutions based on scores for academic reputation, employer reputation and how many international students it has, among other things.

Up to 20,000 universities from around the world were looked at this year before 700 institutions, from 72 countries, were ranked as the top in the world.

AUT was ranked 500th equal, and was rated behind its fellow New Zealand institutions including Waikato, in 374th place, Victoria, in 237th and Otago, in 133rd place.

The University of Auckland was the highest-ranking institution among the New Zealand unis, in 83rd spot.

All but one of our universities - Lincoln - are included in the list and only Massey improved its ranking from last year, jumping 21 spots to get to 308th this year.

Commenting on the rankings, QS said yesterday: "The New Zealand system has held steady in the rankings table this year and remains clearly identifiable as one of the world's leading small systems, with four institutions in the top 250 and seven in the top 500."

QS head of research Ben Sowter said the results indicated that the accelerated international recruitment of students showed an escalating battle for talent.

United States powerhouse the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was ranked No1 this year, jumping two spots from last year and taking over from its British, rival the University of Cambridge.

Top 10

1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2 University of Cambridge
3 Harvard University
4 University College London
5 University of Oxford
6 Imperial College London
7 Yale University
8 University of Chicago
9 Princeton University
10 California Institute of Technology

NZ Universities

83 University of Auckland
133 University of Otago
221 University of Canterbury
237 Victoria University of Wellington
308 Massey University
374 University of Waikato
500 = Auckland University of Technology.