The University of Waikato Ranking

The University of Waikato Ranking

QS World University Rankings 2019

Five years of consistent gains

The QS World University Rankings 2019 (released June 2018) placed us #274 out of more than 1,000 institutions. We’ve jumped 127 places in just five years. Our climb up the QS World University Rankings acknowledges world-class achievements in areas that directly our students and our world.
QS rankings look at universities’ reputation, research, teaching, graduate employability, and internationalisation. We’re in the top 100 for the quality and impact of our research, and our international outlook is another major strength.

QS Stars Five Star Rating

In July 2016 we were awarded a five star rating by QS Stars, confirming the University of Waikato’s status as a world-class university with a high reputation for employment, cutting-edge facilities, internationally renowned research, and outstanding teaching and student satisfaction.
Five stars have been awarded in the categories of:

  • Employability
  • Teaching
  • Facilities
  • Internationalisation
  • Inclusiveness
  • Social Sciences and Management.

The QS Stars rating system evaluates the University across a broader range of criteria than traditional academic rankings, assessing the full university offering including student experience, satisfaction and employment outcomes.

QS Subject Rankings – Thirteen in the top 300

Thirteen of our subject areas are recognised as among the best in the world. Our subjects that are ranked in the top 300 include:

  • Accounting and Finance
  • Business and Management Studies
  • Computer Science and Information Systems
  • Communication and Media Studies
  • Development Studies
  • Economics and Econometrics
  • Education
  • English Language and Literature
  • Geography
  • Hospitality & Leisure Management
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Sociology

Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2018

We climbed in the latest THE World University Rankings to the 351-400 band. That places us third equal in New Zealand.
The rankings are based on teaching, research, citations, industry outcomes, innovation and international outlook.

Twelve disciplines in THE’s top 250

THE ranked 12 of our disciplines in the top 250 of those delivered around the world, including computer science, economics, law, education and social sciences.


Academic Rankings of World Universities

We have been ranked 16th in the world for hospitality and tourism management in the Academic Rankings of World Universities – Subjects rankings 2017.


International student satisfaction

The 2017 International Student Barometer surveyed over 160,000 international students studying all over the world.
More than 90% of the students surveyed who studied at the University of Waikato were satisfied with their experience.


Engineering New Zealand Accredited

At Waikato our eligible engineering programmes are fully accredited by Engineering New Zealand. This means that our Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) students benefit from a qualification that is benchmarked to international standards and recognised internationally.


iSchools Member

iSchools logo
Our Faculty of Computing & Mathematical Sciences is the first and only New Zealand member of the international group of iSchools – a partnership of the world’s leading information schools. Membership reflects the international standing of our research into the relationships between information, people and technology; ranging from cyber-security and data mining to graphic design.


Triple Crown status

Waikato Management School is a member of an elite group of business schools worldwide that have earned “Triple Crown” status – an international acknowledgement of excellence in business education. We are accredited to AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA – only 1% of the world’s business schools have met the strict standards of all three accreditation bodies.
In 2012 our Centre for Corporate and Executive Education received re-accreditation for its MBA programme from AMBA for five years, the maximum length of accreditation available. Its full-time MBM programme also received the highly regarded AMBA accreditation, the first MBM in New Zealand to receive this honour.