New Zealand universities climb in Times Higher Education world rankings

The University of Auckland has climbed to 137 in the Times Higher Education world university rankings. Photo / File

WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

• The University of Auckland: 137

• University of Otago: 200-250

• Auckland University of Technology: 200-250

• University of Waikato: 401-500

• University of Canterbury: 501-600

• Lincoln University: 501-600

• Victoria University of Wellington: 501-600

• Massey University: 601-800

Source: Times Higher Education

Several New Zealand universities have climbed in the latest world rankings from Times Higher Education.

Out of more than 1600 institutions, the University of Auckland has climbed to 137th in the world, up from 147 last year.

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the University of Otago are second-equal in New Zealand after AUT joined Otago in the 200-250 ranking band.

The 2022 rankings, released in the UK overnight, look at five criteria: teaching, research, international outlook, citations and industry income.

Oxford University is ranked top in the world, followed by California Institute of Technology, Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, MIT, Princeton, Berkeley and Yale.

Auckland's vice-chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater said in a statement it was "no mean feat" to improve the university's levels of education and research in the current environment, and commended the university's staff.

Dawn Freshwater, vice-chancellor of the University of Auckland. File photo / Supplied

"It is the strength of our academic disciplines, including transdisciplinary collaborations, whole-heartedly supported by our professional staff, that is reflected in this result."

The university's largest improvement was in teaching, particularly in the "Doctorates awarded to Academic staff" ratio, her statement said.

Its "International Outlook" ranking was strengthened by its retention and support plan for international students as well as its high level of international collaboration on publications.

At AUT, vice chancellor Derek McCormack said the university was young and modern and to have continuously moved up the rankings to sit alongside Otago was "a significant achievement".

"These results reflect the ongoing efforts of our teaching, research and administrative staff, and the performance of our students and graduates."

The University of Waikato has climbed into the top 401-500 band, up from the 501-600 band last year.

Vice-chancellor Professor Neil Quigley said Waikato had received a high number of citations compared to the average, and that had a significant weighting on its rank.

"We know the calibre of research being carried out at Waikato, the impact that is having for industry and how that is flowing through into our teaching and the opportunities it presents for our students," he said.

The results were particularly positive given Waikato was one of the smaller universities in New Zealand.

Lincoln University also climbed back into the 501-600 bracket after dropping to the 601-800 bracket last year, while Canterbury fell to the 501-600 bracket, down from the 401-500 bracket last year.

Times Higher Education is one of several companies that rank universities around the world, each using different methodologies. Measures include how often a a university's research is cited, student to staff ratios, and surveys of academics.

A recent ranking by THE's competitor Quacquarelli Symonds saw most New Zealand universities slide.

Universities use their rankings as a marketing tool to attract students, but not everyone thinks they're useful. New Zealand science educator Michelle Dickinson has called global rankings unhelpful for students deciding which university to attend.