Good news for Coast families with teens eyeing uni.

Auckland’s top university has climbed even higher in the global rankings, landing at #65 in the world.

In the 2026 QS World University Rankings, four of New Zealand’s eight universities moved up the list, and all eight sit within the top 30 percent of more than 1,500 institutions worldwide.

The University of Otago also made a strong return to the top 200 at #197.

Massey University ranked at #230, Victoria University of Wellington at #241, University of Canterbury at #261, University of Waikato at #282, Lincoln University at #407, and AUT at #410.

Globally, the top three were MIT (USA), Imperial College London (UK), and Stanford University (USA).

In our region, the University of Melbourne placed at #19, while the National University of Singapore came in at #8.

The rankings are based on academic reputation, employer reputation, graduate employment outcomes, faculty-student ratio, international research strength, and sustainability.

QS Vice President Ben Sowter called New Zealand one of the few places in the world where every university is in the global top 500.

He said the results reflect the work of outstanding staff and students across the country.

For families on the Hibiscus Coast, this reinforces that high-quality study options are available right here at home, without the cost or stress of heading overseas.

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