List of universities in New Zealand

This is a list of the universities in New Zealand, of which there are eight. As of 2024, all universities are public. All of the universities, with the exception of AUT, are descended from the former University of New Zealand, a collegiate university that existed from 1870 to 1961. In 2021, universities provided tertiary education to over 182,900 students or 142,720 equivalent full-time students (EFTS).^[1]

AUT

Lincoln

Massey

Auckland

Canterbury

Otago

Waikato

Victoria

The locations of the main campus of each university

Universities in New Zealand

Arms	University	Main campus	Established	University status
	Auckland University of Technology	Auckland	1895	2000
	Lincoln University	Lincoln	1878	1990
	Massey University	Palmerston North	1928	1963
	University of Auckland	Auckland	1883	1883
	University of Canterbury	Christchurch	1873	1873
	University of Otago	Dunedin	1869	1869
	University of Waikato	Hamilton	1964	1964
	Victoria University of Wellington	Wellington	1897	1897

General information

University of Otago Registry Building

Name	Main campus	Established	Student headcount (2024)	Equivalent full-time students (2024)	Staff (FTE, 2013)[2]	Government funding ($ millions, 2013)[3]	Funding (NZD) per student	Students per staff member
Auckland University of Technology	Auckland	2000i	25,270[4]	18,565[4]	2,143	150	7,963	8.8
Lincoln University	Lincoln	1878	4,220[5]	3,070[5]	610	41	12,662	5.3
Massey University	Palmerston North	1927	26,505[6]	16,250[6]	2,994	185	9,849	6.4
University of Auckland	Auckland	1883	45,755[7]	35,295[7]	4,909	389	11,819	6.7
University of Canterbury	Christchurch	1873	20,825[8]	16,975[8]	1,907	152	12,739	6.3
University of Otago	Dunedin	1869	21,315[9]	18,564[9]	3,838	271	14,731	4.9
University of Waikato	Hamilton	1964	14,065[10]	10,485[10]	1,520	102	10,257	6.6
Victoria University of Wellington	Wellington	1897	20,605[11]	15,875[11]	1,886	159	9,501	9.1
Total				135,079	19,807	1,449	—	—
Average				16,885	2,475	181	11,190	6.7

* i. ^ Predecessors established in 1895.

Faculties and colleges

The top-level divisions (faculties, colleges) of each university can vary widely from university to university. While all universities have faculties of science, for instance, fewer have faculties of education. The table below summarises the faculties and colleges of every university in New Zealand: ^{[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

Subject area	University of Otago	University of Canterbury	Lincoln University	Victoria University (Wellington)	Massey University	University of Waikato	AUT	University of Auckland
Arts	Division of Humanities	College of Arts		Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences	College of Humanities and Social Sciences	Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao – Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies	Faculty of Culture and Society Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development	Faculty of Arts
Sciences	Division of Sciences	College of Science	Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty of Environment, Society, and Design	Faculty of Science	College of Sciences	Division of Health, Engineering, Computing and Science	Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences	Faculty of Science
Business	Otago Business School (Division of Commerce)	UC Business School	Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce	Victoria Business School	Massey Business School	Waikato Management School	Faculty of Business, Economics and Law	University of Auckland Business School
Health Sciences	Division of Health Sciences	Faculty of Health		Faculty of Health	College of Health	Division of Health, Engineering, Computing and Science	Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences	Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Medicine	Otago Medical School Faculty of Dentistry							School of Medicine
Engineering		College of Engineering		Faculty of Engineering	College of Sciences	Division of Health, Engineering, Computing and Science	Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies	Faculty of Engineering
Law	Faculty of Law	Faculty of Law		Faculty of Law		Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences	Faculty of Business, Economics and Law	Auckland Law School
Fine Arts, Architecture		Ilam School of Fine Arts	School of Landscape Architecture	Faculty of Architecture and Design	College of Creative Arts		Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies	Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries
Education	College of Education	Faculty of Education		Faculty of Education	Institute of Education	Division of Education	Faculty of Culture and Society	Faculty of Education and Social Work

International rankings

These three ranking systems are regarded as the most influential and widely observed international university rankings.^[20][21][22]

According to QS World University Rankings:^[23]

Institution	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
University of Auckland	65	61	68	82	83	94	92	82	81	82	85	83	81	85	87	68
University of Otago	124	125	135	130	133	155	159	173	169	151	175	176	184	194	217	206
Massey University	283	299	302	329	308	343	346	337	340	316	332	287	272	284	292	239
Victoria University of Wellington	227	229	225	237	237	265	275	229	228	219	221	215	223	236	275	241
University of Waikato	378	314	316	357	374	401–410	401–410	338	324	292	274	266	375	373	331	250
University of Canterbury	186	188	189	212	221	238	242	211	214	214	231	227	270	258	284	256
Lincoln University	—	—	—	—	—	481–490	411–420	373	343	319	317	356	387	372	368	362
Auckland University of Technology	—	—	—	—	451–500	471–480	501–550	481-490	441-450	441-450	464	442	437	451	486	407

According to THE World University Rankings:^[24]

Institution	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
University of Auckland	145	173	161	164	175	172	165	192	201-250	179	147	137	139
University of Otago	—	201–225	226–250	226–250	251-275	201-250	201-250	201-250	201-250	201-250	201-250	201-250	301-350
Victoria University of Wellington	—	251–275	251–275	276–300	276-300	351-400	351-400	401-500	401-500	501-600	501-600	501-600	401-500
University of Canterbury	—	301–350	301–350	301–350	301-350	401-500	351-400	351-400	301-350	301-350	401-500	501-600	601-800
University of Waikato	—	301–350	301–350	301–350	351-400	401-500	401-500	351-400	401-500	501-600	501-600	401-500	401-500
Massey University	—	350–400	351–400	—	—	501-600	401-500	401-500	501-600	501-600	601-800	601-800	601-800
Auckland University of Technology	—	—	—	—	—	601-800	501-600	401-500	301-350	251-300	251-300	201-250	251-300
Lincoln University	—	—	—	—	—	—	401-500	501-600	501-600	501-600	601-800	501-600	401-500

According to Academic Ranking of World Universities:^[25]

Institution	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
University of Auckland	201–250	202–301	203–300	201–300	203–304	201–302	201–302	201–300	201–300	151–200	201–300	201–300	201-300	151-200	201-300	201-300	201-300	201-300	201-300	201-300
University of Otago	351–400	202–301	301–400	201–300	305–402	201–302	201–302	201–300	201–300	201–300	201–300	201–300	201-300	301-400	301-400	301-400	301-400	301-400	301-400	301-400
Victoria University of Wellington	—	—	401–500	401–500	403–510	402–503	402–501	401–500	401–500	401–500	401–500	401–500	—	301-400	301-400	301-400	301-400	401-500	401-500	401-500
University of Canterbury	—	—	401–500	401–500	403–510	402–503	402–501	401–500	401–500	401–500	401–500	401–500	—	301-400	401-500	401-500	401-500	401-500	401-500	401-500
Massey University	351–400	404–502	401–500	401–500	305–402	303–401	402–501	401–500	401–500	401–500	401–500	—	—	—	501-600	501-600	601-700	601-700	701-800	601-700
Lincoln University	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	601-700	701-800	801-900	801-900	701-800	701-800
The University of Waikato	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	601-700	701-800	701-800	701-800	701-800	701-800
Auckland University of Technology	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	901-1000	701-800	901-1000	701-800	701-800

Endowment

New Zealand universities by endowment (millions NZD)

Institution	2019	2020	2021	2022
Auckland University of Technology	$2.0 [26]	$2.1 [27]	$2.4 [28]	$2.4 [29]
Lincoln University		$0.47 [30]	$0.71 [31]	$0.97 [32]
Massey University	$48 [33]	$55 [34]	$56 [35]	$56 [36]
University of Auckland	$223 [37]	$251 [38]	$293[39]	$269[40]
University of Canterbury		$137 [41]	$142 [42]
University of Otago	$242 [43]	$258 [44]	$280[45]	$261[46]
University of Waikato	$5.3 [47]	$8.8 [48]	$14 [49]	$13 [50]
Victoria University of Wellington	$70 [51]	$74 [52]	$84 [53]	$75 [54]

See also

• Tertiary education in New Zealand
• Polytechnics and institutes of technology in New Zealand
• List of New Zealand university leaders
• Torrens University Australia, an Australian private university which has a campus in New Zealand
• Wānanga, tertiary institution that provides education in a Māori cultural context

References

1. "Introducing New Zealand's universities". Universities New Zealand. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
2. "The NZ University System". Universities New Zealand. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
3. "The Tertiary Education Performance Report 2013". The Tertiary Education Commission. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
4. "AUT | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
5. "Lincoln University | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
6. "Massey University | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
7. "University of Auckland | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
8. "University of Canterbury | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
9. "University of Otago | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
10. "University of Waikato | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
11. "Victoria University of Wellington | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". www.universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
12. "Departments and schools of the University of Otago". University of Otago. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
13. "Colleges". The University of Canterbury. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
14. "Faculties and Divisions". Lincoln University New Zealand. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
15. "Faculties and schools". Victoria University of Wellington. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
16. "Colleges - Massey University". Massey University. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
17. "Faculties: University of Waikato". www.waikato.ac.nz. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
18. "Faculties & Schools - AUT". Auckland University of Technology University. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
19. "Our faculties - The University of Auckland". The University of Auckland. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
20. Ariel Zirulnick (16 September 2010). "New world university ranking puts Harvard back on top". The Christian Science Monitor.
21. "We're fighting above our weight when it comes to uni rankings". The Australian. 18 July 2012.
22. Indira Samarasekera and Carl Amrhein (3 October 2010). "Top schools don't always get top marks". The Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010.
23. "QS World University Rankings". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
24. "THE World University Rankings". Times Higher Education.
25. "ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
26. "AUT Foundation 2019 Report to Donors" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
27. "AUT Foundation 2020 Report to Donors" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
28. "AUT Foundation 2021 Report to Donors" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
29. "AUT Foundation 2022 Report to Donors" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
30. "Lincoln University Foundation Anuual Report 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
31. "Lincoln University Foundation Anuual Report 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
32. "Lincoln University Foundation Anuual Report 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
33. "Massey University Foundation Annual Review 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
34. "Massey University Foundation Annual Review 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
35. "Massey University Foundation Annual Review 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
36. "Massey University Foundation Annual Review 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
37. "Annual Report to Donors 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
38. "Annual Report to Donors 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2021.
39. "Annual Report to Donors 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
40. "Annual Report to Donors 2022" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
41. "University of Canterbury Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
42. "Endowments at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha The University of Canterbury" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
43. "University of Otago Foundation Trust Report 2019". Retrieved 5 December 2022.
44. "University of Otago Foundation Trust Report 2020". Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
45. "University of Otago Foundation Trust Annual Report 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
46. "Otago Foundation Trust 2022 Report" (PDF). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
47. "University of Waikato Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
48. "University of Waikato Annual Report 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
49. "University of Waikato Annual Report 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
50. "University of Waikato Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
51. "Victoria University of Wellington Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
52. "Foundation Trust Financial Statement" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
53. "Foundation Trust Financial Statements" (PDF). Retrieved 22 March 2022.
54. "Foundation Trust Financial Statements" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2023.

External links

• No Major Drama - for lists of all majors for bachelor's degrees available from New Zealand universities, grouped in subject areas