This information is protected under strict embargo until 06:31am NZST, 11th September.
2012/13 QS World University Rankings
MIT leapfrogs Cambridge and Harvard as world’s best university, New Zealand’s AUT enters the table for the first time
Top 700 universities published Tuesday 11th September www.topuniversities .com
Cambridge is once again home to the world’s number one university. Yet this year the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, not the UK’s second-placed Cambridge University, takes the crown for the first time.
Global top ten20122011 Institution 1 3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2 1 University of Cambridge 3 2 Harvard University 4 7 UCL (University College London) 5 5 University of Oxford 6 6 Imperial College London 7 4 Yale University 8 8 University of Chicago 9 13 Princeton University 10 12 California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2012 www.topuniversities.com . All rights reserved.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts–based research powerhouse is propelled to the top spot by its superior citation rates and
student/faculty ratio, alongside an increase in international faculty. Neighbouring Harvard University slips to third,
having topped the table every year between 2004 and 2009. In contrast, MIT has risen steadily up the rankings from 10th
in 2007.
“The rise of MIT coincides with a global shift in emphasis toward science and technology”, says QS head of research Ben
Sowter. “MIT perfects a blueprint that is now being followed by a new wave of cutting-edge tech-focused institutions,
especially in Asia”.
Nine of the top 10 tech-focused universities improve their position, led by MIT, Imperial College (6), Caltech (10) and
ETH Zurich (13). Korea’s KAIST (63) is the biggest riser in the top 100, while Hong Kong’s HKUST (33) and Singapore’s
Nanyang Technological University (47) continue their rapid ascent. Both were founded in the last 21 years.
With increased investment and competition in higher education globally, the New Zealand system has held steady in the
rankings table this year and remains clearly identifiable as one of the world’s leading small systems with four
institutions in the top 250 and seven in the top 500.
The University of Auckland remains comfortably in the world’s top 100 institutions in the 2012/13 QS World University
Rankings
Auckland University of Technology entering the table for the first time means that now all but one New Zealand
institution are included in the ranking.
The May budget decision to significantly increase funding for teaching in science and technology while maintaining
investment in other areas, and to increase funding for scientific research, despite continued pressure on the public
purse, is the sort of longer term investment commitment apparent at other systems that are doing well in the tables.
To hold ground in the table it is not enough for institutions to simply keep doing what they have always done. The
sector is active worldwide and institutions have to be improving their performance just to maintain position. The
biggest improvements for the New Zealand this year have been in the two research indicators which include citations per
academic and the academic reputation survey.
New Zealand institutions have generally remained competitive in attracting international students.
2012/13 QS World University Rankings – New Zealand universities
RankRankInstitution nameAcademic ReputationEmployer ReputationFaculty/ StudentsCitation per FacultyInt’l FacultyInt’l
StudentsOverall20122011 scorescorescorescorescorescorescore8382The University of Auckland92.878.227.045.591.191.869.3133130University of Otago65.860.231.054.0100.079.858.9221212University of Canterbury52.063.420.933.4100.070.847.0237237Victoria University of Wellington52.963.018.818.0100.078.644.2308329Massey University41.836.432.520.695.541.038.2374357University of Waikato28.836.927.214.996.081.632.8500=NewAuckland University of Technology21.349.042.16.1 50.725.9
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2012 www.topuniversities.com . All rights reserved.
A record 72 countries are featured in the top 700, following a rapid acceleration in international mobility. Sowter
states: “The unprecedented acceleration in international recruitment reflects an escalating global battle for talent.
120,000 more international students were reported by the top 500 universities this year, suggesting the global total may
now exceed 4 million”.
Full methodology and rankings results are available on www.topuniversities.com alongside comparative tuition fees data for institutions from around the world.
Twitter: @worlduniranking #QSWUR #unirankings
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-Ends-
Notes to editors
QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Since 1990, QS has become established as the world’s leading network for top careers and education. Producers of the QS
World University Rankings®, QS’s innovative research, events, publications and university solutions provide new ways of
bringing universities into contact with the best and brightest students worldwide.
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is an annual league table of the top 700 universities in the world and is arguably the
best-known and respected ranking of its kind. Compiled by the QS Intelligence Unit in close consultation with an
international advisory board of leading academics, the QS World University Rankings is widely referenced by prospective
and current students, university professionals and governments worldwide. The purpose of the rankings has been to
recognise universities as the multi-faceted organisations they are and to provide a global comparison of their success
against the notional mission of remaining or becoming world-class. The rankings are based on four key pillars, research,
teaching, employability and internationalisation.
The QS World University Rankings is a registered trademark
Scopus Database from Elsevier
QS Rankings use citation data from Scopus which is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed
literature and quality Web sources. Its unique database contains abstracts and references from over 18,000 titles from
more than 5,000 international publishers, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage. Scopus is a trusted source of
bibliometric data, also used by many other organisations including: the OECD, the Australian Research Council, iFQ ( Institut für Forschungsinformation und Qualitätssicherung) and ISTEP (National Institute of Science and Technology Policy of Japan).