University of Queensland records big jump in global rankings

The University of Queensland has climbed to its best global position yet in the respected Times Higher Education University World Rankings.

UQ jumped eight places from last year’s ranking to sit at equal 54th in the world, and moved up to equal second place in Australia.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Deborah Terry said the result was exceptional given the intensely competitive higher education environment along with the pressures associated with a pandemic.

“To enhance our standing on a global stage is exciting and reflects the commitment of our exceptional academic, research and professional staff,” Professor Terry said.

“We continue to face the current challenges head on while maintaining our focus on high impact research and cultivating the critical thinking capabilities of our students to help them become the experts of tomorrow.”

The University improved in the key performance indicators – teaching, research, international outlook and industry income – with the latter achieving the largest increase from a score of 81.0 to 86.2.

Professor Terry said the result sent a clear message to Australia and around the world that UQ pursued ambitious industry partners looking to innovate.

“Strong collaboration is at the heart of UQ’s research efforts,” Professor Terry said.

“This is highlighted by the number of UQ projects funded under the ARC Linkage Projects scheme which support collaborative research that genuinely make a difference.

“UQ was also one of the first universities to establish a commercialisation arm – UniQuest ­is now Australia’s leading technology transfer company.”