The QS World University Rankings, released yesterday, showed Otago had jumped from 214th to 197th-equal, making it the second-highest ranked university in the country, although it is still some way behind the University of Auckland which was steady at 65th.
Otago University vice-chancellor Grant Robertson said this reiterated Otago’s reputation as a world-class university.
"I want to acknowledge the hard work of our staff that sits behind this result, who day in, day out are producing world class research and providing world class teaching."
Otago leaped 17 places from last year, marking its best performance since it was ranked 194th in 2022.
Part of this improvement was due to an increase in its academic reputation and citations-per-faculty scores, Mr Robertson said.
"These gains are hard won through the efforts of our kaimahi [staff] and tauira [students]. We will look to build on these results into the future as we strive for excellence in all that we do."
The rankings come at a time when universities in New Zealand are looking to rebuild rolls after Covid-19, largely through attracting more international students.
QS vice-president Ben Sowter said New Zealand was one of the few places worldwide where all universities featured 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. With the University of Otago returning to the top 200 for the first time since 2022, the country once again has two institutions ranked among the very top tier of universities worldwide."
Mr Sowter said among key English-speaking study destinations, New Zealand ranked lowest among global employers for its reputation but was highest in terms of employment outcomes.
"This suggests a need for New Zealand universities to build closer relationships with employers worldwide to ensure a match between the skills and knowledge their graduates are entering the workforce with and those that are sought, and that the providers of those graduates are recognised."
The ranking placed Massachusetts Institute of Technology first for the 14th consecutive year followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University.
