Top universities in New Zealand

Auckland University of Technology dates back to 1895 when it was originally founded as the Auckland Technical School and boasts of achieving one of New Zealand's top scores for its ratio of international students.

Lincoln University was originally part of the University of Canterbury before formally separating to become an independent institution in 1990.  

Like AUT, it has received a remarkably high score for its percentage of international students, and is one of the world's top universities for agriculture and forestry according to the most recent QS World University Rankings by Subject. 

The University of Waikato has internationally recognised research capabilities and facilities across numerous disciplines and offers qualifications in a broad range of subject areas, over a dozen of which are recognised and individually ranked by QS.  

Primarily located on 65 hectares of park-like grounds in the city of Hamilton on the North Island, it also has a campus in Tauranga. 

The University of Canterbury is located in Christchurch on the South Island.

It is one of the oldest universities in New Zealand, having been established in 1873 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Its student population now stands at roughly 13,400. 

 

Victoria University of Wellington scores well for its percentage of international faculty members. At a subject level, it's ranked among the world's top universities for both library and information management, and development studies, according to the most recent QS World University Rankings by Subject.  

Massey University, located in the city of Palmerton North on the North Island, is the only university in the country offering programmes in aviation, dispute resolution, veterinary medicine, and nanoscience. 

The University of Otago is primarily located in Dunedin on the South Island and is the oldest university in the country, dating back to 1869. Today it has around 20,000 students, including 2,990 from outside New Zealand. 

The University of Auckland earns one of its best indicator scores for its percentage of international faculty members.  

The largest institution in the country (with 27,800 students in 2024), the university ranks highly within the QS World University Rankings by Subject for 15 subjects including archaeology, education, civil and structural engineering, geography and sports-related subjects.