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campusreview.com.au
Oz unis’ ranking rise
Two more Australian universities join global top 200.
T
he Queensland University of Technology and the
University of Canberra are the two latest Australian
universities to reach the top 200 in a closely watched
ranking of world universities.
In Times Higher Education’s recently published 2020 edition
of its World University Rankings, both universities climbed out of
nondescript bands – last year QUT ranked somewhere between
201 and 250, while UC sat around the 251–300 mark.
UC’s ascension marked a jump of more than 50 places, landing
it in 193rd, while QUT was joint 179th.
Sydney tops Harvard
Australia’s most employable graduates ranked.
T
he Universities of Sydney and Melbourne have both retained
their top 10 positions in the latest edition of a ranking of
graduate employability.
2
Retaining its top Australian position, the University of Melbourne
once again finished in 32nd place, while the Australian National
University and University of Sydney both slid one spot to 50th and
60th, respectively.
Other universities to improve their standing were the University
of Queensland, which climbed three places to 66th; UNSW Sydney,
which leapt 25 places to 71st; and the University of Adelaide, up
15 places to 120th.
Of the 35 Australian universities represented in this
year’s ranking, 19 finished higher than last year, while five
dropped lower.
THE said the higher ranking positions were primarily driven by
their improved citation impact scores, as well as excellent scores
for research environment and international outlook.
However, the magazine added that many Australian universities
fell behind their international rivals when it came to teaching
reputation scores.
Phil Baty, THE‘s chief knowledge officer, described the rise of
more than a dozen Australian institutions in a competitive global
field as “extremely commendable”.
“Australia has made growing relations with China a focal point
of its higher education strategy, and this sharing of knowledge and
expertise appears to be paying off for both parties,” Baty said.
“Chinese institutions are getting better at attracting global
talent and collaborating with foreign institutions, while Australian
universities are benefiting both financially and academically from
an influx of Chinese students and academics.”
THE ranks more than 1300 universities from 92 countries. ■
The 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings, compiled by
higher education think tank QS Quacquarelli Symonds, put USYD
at number 4. It climbed above Harvard University, which held that
position last year.
Meanwhile, Melbourne was bumped down one spot to 7th
by Tsinghua University.
The rankings capture institutions’ regard among employers, alma
mater data from highly successful individuals, institutional industry
partnerships, employer presence on campus and location-adjusted
graduate employment rate.
The University of New South Wales retained its top 30 position,
climbing one spot from last year’s ranking to 27, while Australia’s
next best performer, the University of Queensland, slid nine points
to finish 57th.
ANU and Monash (equal 66), the University of Technology (69)
and RMIT University (77) were the nation’s other top 100
institutions.
All up, 20 Australian universities participated in this year’s edition
of the rankings.
QS said Australian institutions perform best in the Employer
Reputation indicator, followed by the Alumni Outcome and the
Employer Partnership indicators.
Its research director Ben Sowter said: “The Australian
higher education system places a great emphasis on
students’ career outcomes, and such focus is reflected in
this ranking.”
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology retained its top
position, while Stanford University was ranked 2nd and the
University of California, Los Angeles 3rd. ■