Prestigious Australian universities tumble in latest global rankings after scandal-plagued year
Some of Australia’s most prestigious universities have fallen in global rankings following a tumultuous period marked by scandals in the higher education sector.
The Australian National University (ANU) has fallen three places from 90 to 93 in the World University Rankings Centre.
The university has been marred by numerous scandals during the tenure of high-profile chancellor Julie Bishop, over plans to write off $250 million in costs, job undermining and allegations of workplace bullying.
Ms Bishop resigned from her senior role last month, seven months before her contract was due to expire.
The University of Sydney also fell from 94th to 100th place as it deals with racial discrimination claims brought by Jewish staff to the Federal Court.
The University of NSW maintained its position as the country’s leading higher education institution, maintaining its 52nd position in the global rankings for the second year running; followed by the University of Melbourne, ranked 64th.
The University of Queensland also maintained its position at 103rd, while Monash University rose three places to 113th in the global rankings.
University of Western Australia dropped from 151 to 160.
The University of Adelaide also dropped 2 places to 115th, while the University of Technology Sydney rose from 314th to 308th.
Despite a scandal-filled year, many Australian universities still rank in the top 10 per cent of campuses globally.
The World University Rankings Center is now in its 15th year and lists the top 2000 universities out of more than 21,290 institutions worldwide.
It ranks universities based on four factors, including education, employability, faculty and research.
In the USA, 8 universities were in the top 10, including the Ivy League schools of Harvard, Stanford and MIT.
England’s Cambridge and Oxford universities also ranked in the top 10.
UNSW was ranked first in the Oceania region.
