April 7, 2016

UOW named as one of the best young unis in the world

UOW recognised as an emerging global leader for the fifth year in a row.

UOW has again been ranked among the best modern universities in the world for the fifth year in a row in the Times Higher Education 150 under 50 Rankings.

UOW was placed 37th in the world when the Times Higher Education announced the top 150 universities aged under 50 years last night at its annual THE Young Universities Summit in Barcelona, Spain.

The annual rankings, first published in 2012, focus on a new breed of global universities which have managed to join the world’s top table in a matter of years, rather than centuries, and show great promise. 

Previously called the ‘100 under 50 Rankings’, this year’s Times Higher Education 150 Under 50 Rankings are the product of a changed methodology. 

Core institutional and reputational information has been gathered by the Times’ own ‘in-house’ team of data experts, who have analysed a deeper range of research activity across a larger number and wider range of institutions than previously, assessing them according to the same 13 performance indicators used in the wider Times Higher Education World University Rankings. 

Despite the greater number of institutions and changed assessment method affecting many universities’ rankings compared to previous years, UOW has remained in the same percentile grouping globally and near the top of the 19 Australian institutions assessed. 

UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said this announcement confirms the University’s reputation for world-class research and exceptional teaching quality. 

It follows outstanding performance in the 2016 Good Universities Guide in which UOW topped the country scoring an impressive 50 stars across various categories, the announcement in January that UOW had been listed among the top 100 most international universities in the world and an impressive performance in the 2016 QS World University Rankings by Subject published last month. 

“Following a series of strong rankings performances in 2015 and more recently, this latest result confirms our place as a leading institution domestically and internationally.” 

Times Higher Education Rankings Editor Phil Baty said many young universities are in the global elite.

“The 150 Under 50 ranking is led by young, exciting and dynamic institutions... As the pendulum swings, the traditionally dominant US and UK will have to raise their games to continue to compete in future years.” 

The Times Higher Education 150 under 50 ranks universities founded since 1966. The University of Wollongong became an independent university in 1975, celebrating 40 years of independence last year. 

It assess all core missions of a modern global university - research, teaching, knowledge transfer and international activity - via the world’s largest invitation-only academic reputation survey and an examination of more than 11 million research papers with 51 million citations. It ensures arts, humanities and social sciences are assessed on an equal footing with science disciplines.