The Times Higher Education list of the top 200 international universities ranks Victoria at 58, with seven of New Zealand’s eight universities within the top 112.
The ranking is based on each university’s international student numbers, its percentage of international staff and the proportion of its research papers published with a co-author from at least one other country.
Victoria University’s Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Frazer Allan says Victoria’s international outlook is one of the University’s distinctive strengths and a major contributor to Victoria achieving its vision of becoming a world-leading capital city university.
“The ranking reflects the diversity of our staff and students and the powerful global connections forged by Victoria over many years.
“Victoria’s international profile is a key reason that we continue to attract such high calibre students and staff and that our scholars are able to establish international research collaborations.”
The Executive Director of Universities New Zealand, Chris Whelan, says the rankings released today reinforce the high quality of New Zealand universities.
“We are the only country in the world with all of its universities ranked in the top 500 (3%) of universities globally. That's an incredible achievement. It's built on the fact we can attract the best teachers and researchers who can, in turn, offer world-class teaching and carry out internationally respected research.
"For a small country at the bottom of the world, this is a source of significant economic and social benefit. Our young people don't need to leave the country to get a world-class education and we can support our industry and social institutions with skilled graduates and a steady flow of knowledge and new ideas.
"We also contribute directly to the economy through international education. International education is this country's sixth largest export market generating $3.1 billion annually. Universities account for a third of that—mainly due to their strong reputation and rankings internationally."
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education World University Rankings editor says: “An institution’s global outlook is one of the key markers of a prestigious university. The top institutions hire faculty from all over the world, attract students from a global market of top talent and collaborate with leading departments wherever they happen to be based.
“All institutions in this list deserve to celebrate—being named one of the most international universities in the world is a sign of great potential, competitiveness and dynamism.”
The “Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-16” results and analysis are at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/worlds-most-international-universities-2016