World uni rankings improve for University of Adelaide

The University of Adelaide’s position as South Australia’s leading university has been reaffirmed by the latest world university rankings.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2021 has seen the University of Adelaide improve its position by two places, now ranked 118th in the world – and again 7th in Australia.

The University of Adelaide remains in the top 1% of universities worldwide.

Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Mike Brooks says the global ranking is positive news for South Australia at a challenging time for higher education globally.

“The University of Adelaide’s latest world ranking is pleasing news, reflecting the high international respect that our research and our degrees attract,” Professor Brooks says.

“There is no doubt this has been a tough year for the higher education sector, but also specifically for the University of Adelaide and for our wider community.

“But this latest ranking demonstrates that we are held in high regard nationally and internationally.

“In particular, the quality of our research output, our engagement with industry, and our international outlook have again been praised in these rankings. This is something for us to build upon,” Professor Brooks says.

The University of Adelaide is the highest-ranked university in South Australia across each of the major global rankings:

• QS World University Rankings: 106
• Times Higher Education World University Rankings: 118
• Academic Ranking of World Universities: 152

It is estimated that there are well over 20,000 universities in the world.

“We know that none of the international ranking systems is perfect, but they are a broad indicator of the esteem in which a university is held,” Professor Brooks says.