AUT is the only New Zealand university to improve year-on-year in two world university rankings, a significant acknowledgement for a remarkable 21 year journey as a university.
During the six years that AUT has been included in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, it has leapfrogged four other New Zealand universities and settled in a solid position as one of our nation’s top three.
THE annually ranks 1,500 of the world’s more than 30,000 universities, focussing on those that are the most research-intensive. In its latest ranking, AUT retained its position in the top 300 universities worldwide and was ranked in the 251- 300 band.
AUT performed especially well and took the number one position for New Zealand universities in its global research influence which is assessed by the number of citations per research publication, as well as in international outlook.
Luke Patterson, Chief Marketing Officer, says while university rankings don’t drive AUT’s behaviour as a university, “we know they are an important factor for potential students when they make decisions on their academic futures. “AUT’s rise in the world rankings over the years is both impressive and valuable to the University and is relevant now more than ever in a COVID-19 world.”
In other notable ranking results during the past year, THE ranked AUT number one in New Zealand for health subjects, the number one ‘millennial university’ in Australasia and fifteenth in the world, and number 23 in the world for contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals (THE University Rankings).
AUT’s impressive year-on-year rise was also reflected in the US News Global University Ranking – climbing from its rank of #724 in the world in 2016 to #389 in 2020, largely due to AUT’s citation impact and international collaboration.
THE also ranked AUT #40 in the world for universities that are 50 years old or younger.