Global survey points to risks for local unis

Rankings agency Times Higher Education says Australian universities are feeling the impact of government funding cuts.

The University of Melbourne is the highest-ranked institution in Australia.

Rankings agency Times Higher Education says Australian universities are feeling the impact of government funding cuts as its 2018 ranking list shows both gains and declines for local higher education institutions.

This year again shows six Australian universities in the world’s top 100, led by the University of Melbourne at equal 32nd — unchanged from last year.

Other universities in the top 100 are the Australian National University (49th), the University of Sydney (equal 59th), the University of Queensland (69th), Monash University (equal 84th) and UNSW (equal 96th).

Five of the six were in about the same positions as last year, while UNSW dropped 11 places.

According to Ellie Borthwell, Times Higher Education’s global rankings editor, the impact of funding cuts on universities is showing up in the ranking data.

Australian universities are in the middle of a two-year freeze on federal government course subsidies, in place until the end of next year.

“While there are some examples of progress from Australia this year, the national picture is a cause for concern, with many universities declining or remaining stagnant,” Ms Borthwell said.

“As funding cuts take hold and pressure mounts to cap inter­national student numbers — combined with intensifying competition from Asia — Australia’s universities could well face an uphill struggle in the coming years.”

 

University groups were quick to pick up on the ranking agency’s comments in their effort to boost public support for more government funding.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the warning from Times Higher Education should prompt the federal government to rethink its cut to the real level of higher education spending.

“These ranking results confirm our world-class standing — but also show this is at risk unless those cuts are reversed,” she said.

The chief executive of the Group of Eight universities, Vicki Thomson, said the latest ranking list showed worrying signs of a system under pressure.

“Almost every Australian university is struggling to maintain its global position,” she said.

Ms Thomson said universities were also concerned by the Morrison government’s “unhelpful” talk about sending international students — who bring in $32 billion of service export revenue each year — to universities in regional areas.

However, while university groups endorsed Times Higher Education’s warning, this year’s rankings did not reveal major negative effects as a result of funding cuts.

Of the 35 Australian universities given a ranking, nine rose significantly compared to last year while eight fell.

Oxford, Cambridge and Stanford topped the rankings, with US universities dominating the table. The top-ranked university in Asia was Tsinghua in Beijing.