Universities’ plan for boost in world rankings

Radio New Zealand 15 May 2015

Universities could get a leg-up in international league tables through closer links with the government's Crown Research Institutes, writes John Gerritsen for Radio New Zealand.

An Education and Science Select Committee paper says New Zealand universities are suffering in the rankings because of a perceived lack of high-level research. The three main rankings are the QS rankings, the Times Higher Education rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, or ARWU, and they place most New Zealand institutions in the top 400 or 500 in the world. The University of Auckland is the highest ranked New Zealand university in each of the league tables, reaching 92nd in the QS rankings, 175th in the Times Higher Education rankings, and placed in the 201-300 group in the ARWU.

The select committee said the Tertiary Education Commission had told it closer relations with Crown Research Institutes could improve the situation. The idea is to count Crown Research Institute research as university research in the rankings, which are important for attracting international students.
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