Rankings and Reputation

Our university stands proudly on the world stage as a provider of future-focused, international education and an active player in global research. Our rankings reflect these strengths.

Campus Student Centre

Placed 250th in the world and the #1 University in New Zealand for Research (measured by citations per faculty member).

QS Rankings by Subject 2023

15 subjects and subject areas ranked by QS, 10 in the top 300 globally:

  • Accounting & Finance (251-300)
  • Business & Management Studies (301-350)
  • Communication & Media Studies (201-250)
  • Economics & Econometrics (301-350)
  • Education (201-250)
  • Geography (151-200)
  • Hospitality and Leisure Management (101-150)
  • Law (251-300)
  • Sociology (251-300)
  • Sports-related Subjects (101-140)

Find out more about our QS Rankings.

QS Annual Survey

QS uses an annual survey to assess institutions’ academic and employer reputation:

If you employ our graduates and would like to take part in this annual survey, complete the form.

QS Global Employer Reputation Survey

If you are an academic in a university anywhere in the world, or if you have knowledge of academic research in your area of expertise, and would like to take part in the survey, complete the form.

QS Global Academic Reputation Survey

QS Stars

Given an overall rating of 'Excellent' (5 stars) by QS in their QS Stars Ratings, which aim to give prospective students an additional tool to use when choosing a university.

 

THE Impact Rankings 2023

Ranked 92nd in the world.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings score institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The ranking reflects the University of Waikato’s commitment to using the power of our research and our people to make a significant, positive contribution on both a local and global scale.

We are proud to be ranked 32nd in the world for SDG17 Partnership for the Goals, 34th for SDG14 Life below Water, 44th for SDG15 Life on Land, 48th for SDG16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and 51st for SGD5 Gender Equality.

Learn more about our commitment to sustainability.

THE World University Rankings 2023

We are ranked in the 401-500 band globally.

THE Rankings by Subject 2023

Ranked as the top New Zealand university in Business and Economics and 126-150 globally.

Five other ranked subjects in the top 300 globally.

  • Arts & Humanities (251-300)
  • Life Sciences (251-300)
  • Physical Sciences (251-300)
  • Social Sciences (201-250)
  • Education (251-300)

Find out more about our THE World University and Subject Rankings

International student satisfaction

The 2021 International Student Barometer surveyed over 65,000 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, which is above both the international average and the average of the five New Zealand universities that took part.

Join us as an international student

 

Waikato Management School: 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.

Internationally accredited MBA

In 2022, Waikato Management School received re-accreditation for its MBA programme from AMBA for five years, the maximum length of accreditation available.

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

Our School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences is the first 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.