Victoria University of Wellington is ranked number one in New Zealand for intensity of high-quality research (2018 Performance-Based Research Fund).
Our rankings
Victoria University of Wellington is proud to be in the top 1% of universities in the world for 19 subjects and in the top 2% of universities overall. There are more than 18,000 universities worldwide and the 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject rank the top institutions.
We received five stars plus overall in the QS Stars rating of excellence and five stars in each of the eight indicators—arts and culture, discipline ranking and accreditations, employability, facilities, inclusiveness, internationalisation, research, and teaching.
Leading the research field
Victoria University of Wellington has a larger proportion of its academics conducting high-quality research than any other university in New Zealand.
The most recent Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) quality evaluation of New Zealand universities shows the University has 864 staff actively involved in research and 66 percent of those are operating at the highest levels (rated either A or B).
The University has more A-rated researchers than any other New Zealand university in eight subject areas:
- Earth Sciences
- English Language and Literature
- Foreign Languages and Linguistics
- History, History of Art, Classics and Curatorial Studies
- Music, Literary Arts and Other Arts
- Philosophy
- Political Science, International Relations and Public Policy
- Theatre and Dance, Film, TV and Multimedia.
Our Faculty of Law is the number one law school in New Zealand for both its proportion of A-ranked researchers and A- and B-ranked researchers combined.
The University is in the top three universities for its number of A-rated researchers for subjects such as:
- Computer Science, IT and Information Sciences
- Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour
- Law
- Māori Knowledge and Development
- Molecular, Cellular and Whole Organism Biology
- Pure and Applied Mathematics
- Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Criminology and Gender Studies.
Victoria University of Wellington’s outstanding PBRF performance in humanities and social sciences reflects its robust commitment to these disciplines, which are crucial to the University’s vision of cultivating global citizens capable of critical and creative thinking.
Global recognition
Wellington School of Business and Government leads the world as one of an elite group of commerce faculties worldwide that hold the Triple Crown of international accreditations of EQUIS, AACSB (Business) and AMBA. One of the subjects it offers—Library and Information Management—is at 24, demonstrating excellence in a specialist field of increasing importance in a world driven by big data.
In total, thirteen subjects at the University are in the top 100 of the QS rankings: Communication and Media Studies, Development Studies, Earth and Marine Sciences, English Language and Literature, Geography, Law, Library and Information Management, Linguistics, Mineral and Mining Engineering, Performing Arts, Politics and International Studies, Psychology, Religious Studies (called Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies in the QS rankings).
Six of those subjects sit within the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. In addition to that and the overall ranking for the arts and humanities (73=), another four subjects taught in the Faculty are ranked in the top 150 in the world. They are Archaeology (within Te Kawa a Māui/School of Māori Studies); History; Philosophy; and Sociology.
Four of the University’s top 100 subjects sit within the Wellington Faculty of Science—Development Studies, Earth and Marine Sciences, Geography and Psychology.
Rankings confirm excellence
International subject rankings for 2020 confirm Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington as New Zealand’s globally ranked capital city university and a world-class university.
4 March 2020
The results from the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject have Wellington University ranked in the top 100 of the world’s 18,000 universities for 11 subjects, including two in the top 50.
The University is also highly ranked for arts and humanities, at 68 equal, up five places from 2019 in the highly competitive rankings, and 137 equal for Social Sciences and Management.
The results confirm that the University is among the top 1% of universities in the world in 19 subjects, and in the top 2% of universities overall. There are more than 18,000 universities worldwide and the 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject rank the top institutions.
Both of the subjects to be ranked in the top 50 sit within the Wellington School of Business and Government. One is Library and Information Management, which is part of the Information Studies programme, and is ranked 20 in the world in the QS results, up from 24 in 2019. This outstanding result demonstrates excellence in a specialist field of growing importance in a world driven by big data.
The other top 50 subject is Hospitality and Leisure Management, which is aligned to Tourism Management. Wellington is one of only two New Zealand universities to have been awarded the Tourism Education Quality (TedQual) certification by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and its ranking at 50 in the world shows its leadership in this diverse and growing industry.
The University’s Law programme is ranked among the top 100 in the world while the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has five top 100 subjects—English Language and Literature; Linguistics; Performing Arts; Philosophy; and Politics and International Studies.
In addition to the above and the overall result for arts and humanities (68=), another four subjects within the Faculty are ranked in the top 150 in the world. They are Archaeology; Communication and Media Studies; History; and Modern Languages.
Wellington University has a robust commitment to the humanities and social sciences, viewing these disciplines as crucial to the University’s vision of cultivating global citizens capable of critical and creative thinking.
Outstanding results were also achieved in subjects taught in the Wellington Faculty of Science—Earth and Marine Sciences; Geography; and Psychology all continue to achieve a top 100 ranking.
Other subjects taught at the University that are in the top 150 in the world are Accounting and Finance; Architecture/Built Environment; Art and Design; and Education.
“Our global standing remains strong thanks to the quality of our research and teaching and the reputation of our academics.
“These results are further evidence of Wellington’s standing as an internationally respected and globally ranked capital city university,” says Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford.