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On the up
Australian universities bounce back in 2022 QS World University Rankings .
By Wade Zaglas
The latest Quacquarelli Symonds QS World University Rankings bodes well for Australia ’ s university sector , with all four of the country ’ s highest-ranked universities improving their rankings and the Australian National University breaking back into the top 30 globally ( 27th ).
Most Australian universities also rose on last year ’ s results rather than regressing .
Hot on the heels of ANU in the 2022 World University Rankings – and all landing top 50 positions – are The University of Melbourne ( 37th ), The University of Sydney ( 38th ), The University of NSW ( 43rd ) and The University of Queensland ( 47th ). The latest QS World Rankings also show two Australian universities have achieved their best result in more than a decade .
Curtin University , for instance , has re-entered the top 200 for the first time since 2006 , coming in at 194th . Improved employer recognition over the last year has bolstered its ranking , as has its research impact ( now ranked 84th in the world for Citations per Faculty ).
Similarly , Macquarie University has cemented a place in the top 200 for the first time in over a decade .
In total , 38 Australian universities appeared in the 2022 rankings table , making us the ninth-highest global performer . Of the universities featured , 16 have risen in their rankings since last year , 11 have dipped , and nine have stayed the same .
The University of the Sunshine Coast ( USC ) and the University of Notre Dame
Australia also made their debuts in this year ’ s rankings .
KEY POINTS : AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES
∞ ANU ’ s rise this year can be attributed to improvements in its employment recognition score , as well as its research performance . The university also attained a perfect International Faculty score .
∞ Overall , the solid performance of Australia ’ s higher education sector in this year ’ s rankings is based on high research impact scores ( Citations per Faculty ).
∞ “ Eleven of the world ’ s top 100 scores for QS ’ s measure of research impact , Citations per Faculty , are achieved by Australian universities . Also achieving a top 50 score for Citations per Faculty are The University of Western Australia ( 40 th ) and The University of New South Wales ( 44 th ).”
∞ The University of Melbourne scored a top 20 ranking in Academic Reputation ( 17 ), as well as lifting its results since last year in research impact and teaching capacity scores .
∞ The University of Sydney registered a 15-place jump in research impact . The university also achieved an impressive Employer Reputation score , landing in the world ’ s top 30 at 29 . Meanwhile , UNSW now ranks 32nd for Employer Reputation and 44th for Citations per Faculty . Director of Research at QS , Ben Sowter , said : “ Australian successes in the QS World University Rankings are based on two key factors : outstanding research impact and high levels of internationalisation . Eight Australian universities achieve perfect scores for our International Faculty Ratio indicator , and twelve achieve a score
Two Australian universities have achieved their best result in more than a decade .
of 80 / 100 or above for International Student Ratio .
“ In other words : the continued strength of Australian higher education is predicated on its enduring appeal to the global academic community .
“ Falls in international enrolments – particularly from its two biggest markets , China and India , will not only present a financial threat to its institutions - with international students contributing A $ 9.8 billion in revenue to Australia ’ s universities in 2019 alone - but will also jeopardise the intellectual diversity and exchange that are causing Australia ’ s institutions to thrive .”
GLOBAL TRENDS Globally , Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) in the US remains the dominant institution in higher education , achieving a record ten consecutive years at the top of the pack . The University of Oxford clinched second place for the first time since 2006 , relegating both Stanford University and the University of Cambridge to equal third .
Universities in the Asian region continue to climb up the ranks , with the continent ’ s leading university – the National University of Singapore – ranked 11th in this year ’ s results . Mainland China , too , is proving itself to be an academic force to be reckoned with , with two of its universities featuring in the top 20 for the first time .
Switzerland ’ s ETH Zurich ( 8th ) is the highest-ranked university outside of the United Kingdom and the US .
“ This year , QS will list the world ’ s top 1300 universities - 145 more than in last year ’ s edition - which can be found in 97 locations ,” Quacquarelli Symonds said .
“ 6415 institutions were eligible for the survey analysis , and 1705 were assessed for the final table . The results will account for the distribution and performance of 14.7 million academic papers published between 2015 and 2019 , and the 96 million citations received by those papers ; they also account for the expert opinions of over 130,000 academic faculty and over 75,000 employers .” ■
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