Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao Chief Executive Amanda Malu lauds the latest results of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2026 that sees New Zealand rank first in the English-speaking world and fifth globally for the overall quality of its higher education.
Published annually, the QS rankings assess more than 1,500 universities globally across areas such as reputation, teaching, research and internationalisation. The 2026 results see New Zealand universities improve across academic reputation, citation per faculty, and international student indicators. New Zealand also ranks the highest globally in terms of employment outcomes among key English-speaking study destinations.
Four of New Zealand’s eight higher education institutions have improved their ranking in the QS World University Rankings 2026. The University of Auckland, University of Otago, Massey University, and University of Canterbury all improved their Citations Per Faculty ranking.
“This is a fantastic result for our universities as they continue to grow in appeal among international students. It reinforces New Zealand’s position as a high-quality and welcoming international education destination. New Zealand universities are all highly regarded for sustainability research and programmes. We need to celebrate this wonderful result for New Zealand universities that highlights the high calibre of our teaching, research staff and students.” Ms Malu says.
Reflecting a post-pandemic recovery in international student demand, institutions improved its International Students Ratio, with three in the top 100 globally and improving on their performance last year. Namely, Auckland University of Technology rose three places to 39th; Lincoln University improved 35 places to be ranked 53rd; and Massey University moved up 25 spots to 71st
For a country with a relatively small population and higher education sector, New Zealand continues to outperform global peers in many areas. Among countries and territories with at least eight institutions featured in this year’s rankings, New Zealand’s overall average score of 51 puts the country fifth in the world for the overall quality of its higher education.
Ben Sowter, Vice President of QS, said: “New Zealand is one of the few places on earth where all universities feature among the global top 500 in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. The breadth of excellence shown across the country’s eight universities is testament to the work of students, outstanding staff and brilliant research carried out across New Zealand”
On sustainability research and programmes, New Zealand comes second only to Sweden and has three universities in the top 100 globally for the sustainability indicator of the QS rankings.
