At a glance
Key facts about the University's performance on the national and world stage.
Research
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is renowned for its high-quality research and exceptional teaching. We attract people from around the world. More than 1,800 publications resulting from our researchers’ work were indexed in Scopus in 2024.
Global rankings
Victoria University of Wellington consistently ranks among the top 300 of the world’s universities in the QS World University Rankings.
Outstanding quality
Victoria University of Wellington has an overall rating of Five Stars Plus—the maximum possible in the QS Stars University Ratings system.
According to QS, “Five Stars Plus-rated universities go above and beyond excellence, consistently delivering exceptional performance in every single category. From outstanding student satisfaction to cutting-edge research, they set the gold standard for higher education.”
Our university is one of only 22 in the world to achieve this outstanding rating. It’s a mark of our exceptional performance across multiple indicators, including academic reputation, student satisfaction, graduate employment rate, international collaborations, and campus facilities.
Find out more about what QS stars and ratings mean.
At the top
Overall, Victoria University of Wellington is in the top 2 percent of the world’s universities.
We are in the top 1% of the world's universities for 14 subjects and in the top 2% for 29 subjects in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
We have six subjects in the top 100 of the QS rankings:
- Development Studies
- English Language and Literature
- Law
- Library and Information Management
- Linguistics
- Theology/Divinity and Religious Studies
Victoria University of Wellington has eight further subjects in the top 150— Anthropology, Classics & Ancient History, Geography, Hospitality & Leisure Management, Performing Arts, Politics & International Studies, Psychology, Sociology—and eight further subjects in the top 200—Accounting & Finance, Communication & Media Studies, Earth & Marine Sciences, Education, Geology, Geophysics, History, Philosophy.
Among universities in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are ranked first in two subjects—Library and Information Management, and Politics and International Studies. We are ranked second overall in Aotearoa for the subject areas Art and Humanities, and Social Sciences and Management.
Triple crown
Wellington School of Business and Government is one of an elite group of commerce faculties worldwide that hold the Triple Crown of international accreditations of EQUIS, AACSB (Business), and AMBA.
Our students
Victoria University of Wellington has around 16,000 students, including international students from around 120 countries. We awarded 4,692 qualifications in 2024.
Explore key statistics about Te Herenga Waka’s domestic and international students, graduates, and staff—and the University’s research, finances, and sustainability.
Staff, schools, and faculties
The University has around 2,200 full-time equivalent staff, more than 1,000 of whom are involved in teaching and research.
The University has six faculties, five of which conduct teaching and research. Our faculties are divided into schools, many of which are closely aligned with our numerous research centres and institutes. The Faculty of Graduate Research is responsible for the administration of doctoral students’ candidature.
In addition, Toihuarewa is a university-wide faculty equivalent that provides a forum for Māori academic issues at the University and ensures there is appropriate Māori content in the University's teaching and research programmes.
Campuses and research institutes
Victoria University of Wellington has three main campuses and the Miramar Creative Centre in Wellington. We also have premises in Auckland.
In addition to the main campuses, we have a number of research centres and institutes.
Globally connected, nationally engaged
Victoria University of Wellington is a capital city university with strong global engagement. We work in partnership with universities and organisations around the world for the benefit of students, researchers, and communities.