University of Auckland climbs in QS World University Rankings

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland continues to climb in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (WUR), achieving its highest result in more than a decade.

The University has moved up to 65 in the world, an improvement on the 2024 ranking of 68. This reflects a consistent upward trajectory in academic and research excellence, despite the challenges of the past few years. By comparison, the University was ranked 85 in the world in 2019.

More than 1,500 tertiary institutions around the world were evaluated in 106 locations, with eight from Aotearoa New Zealand. The University of Auckland was the only New Zealand university in the top 100 and it surpassed 95.7 percent of institutions worldwide in the evaluations.

University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater said the latest rankings are a proud achievement for all staff and students.

“Behind the result is a lot of data that shows how the University is achieving its research goals. We are forming networks with other researchers around the world, the community, local iwi, industry, and government to seek research-driven solutions to society's challenges.”

Areas in which the University improved significantly, boosting the overall ranking, were sustainability, citations per faculty, employer reputation, and international research network (IRN). The University scored an outstanding 99.7 points for sustainability out of the 100 possible.

Professor Frank Bloomfield, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, says being in the top 100 universities in the world is already a massive achievement, but moving closer to the top 50 is significant.

“We are demonstrating excellence across multiple disciplines, and this outstanding result affirms our strategic direction and commitment to excellence in all areas.”

The QS World University Rankings are highly regarded for their comprehensive and transparent methodology, which assesses universities through several performance lenses, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio and research impact. In the past two years, QS has introduced new metrics emphasising sustainability, employability, and global research engagement through the IRN, aligning closely with the evolving priorities of students and the broader educational landscape.

The Vice-Chancellor added that the results amplify the ambitions set out in the University’s strategic plan Taumata Teitei.

“As the University of Auckland looks to the future, we are focused on nurturing the next generation of leaders, innovators and changemakers. We want to ensure our graduates are equipped to make meaningful contributions to a rapidly changing society.

“Connecting our researchers with industry and society is an important goal which can improve our graduates’ employment outcomes down the track.”

Earlier in the year the University of Auckland also performed well in the QS Subject Rankings, with ten subjects appearing in the top 50 globally.