THE University of Newcastle has slipped in its rankings, being named in the 250 to 300 universities out of more than 2000 universities from 108 countries.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings were released on Thursday, October 9, and evaluate universities based on indicators including research, teaching, citations, international outlook and industry income.
Last year UON ranked in the top 200 to 250 universities, meaning there was a drop in this year's rankings, but academic excellence Pro-Vice Chancellor professor Jennifer Milam said it was natural to see fluctuation in numbers against "incredibly competitive rankings".
"Like many universities across the country, our latest rankings reflect data collected during the last year of Covid pandemic impact. For the University of Newcastle, recovery is already under way - and this will be reflected in future rankings," she said.
"When we looked closely at the metrics that underpin these rankings, we found that many of our fundamentals are on an upswing."
The university's research productivity, excellence and influence were all indicators that increased between 2024 and 2025.
"We have also seen a growth in our industry incomes and patents, which demonstrate our strength in supporting the future of our regions," professor Milam said.
"We continue to rank among the top 40 in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact rankings and we are in the top 200 in the world in the QS World University Rankings."
The rankings showed the University of Melbourne was the top institution in Australia, coming in 39th place, but a number of the countries leading universities have tumbled down the ladder.
The next best Australian university was Monash University, down from 54th to 58th, followed by the University of Sydney, which fell from 60th to 61st.
The Australian National University went back from 67th to 73rd, while the University of Queensland rounded out the top five Australian campuses in 77th place, a drop from 70th the year before.
The rankings showed 17 Australian universities fall down the scale, with seven having their worst results.
Just four institutions - UNSW, Macquarie University, Deakin University and Federation University Australia - increased their position in the latest list.
While Australia had 12 universities inside the top 100 in 2021, it now has just 10.
Times Higher Education chief global affairs officer Phil Baty said there were serious warning signs in the sector in Australia.
"Australian universities are losing ground in terms of their global academic reputation (and) funding levels," he said.
"Perhaps most alarmingly, they are losing ground in areas of great traditional strength: international research collaboration and the attraction of international talent."
It comes as the federal government is looking to introduce caps on the number of new international university students.
Under the proposal, 53,000 fewer students would be allowed to enrol in Australian universities as part of a cap of 270,000.
Further details about the limit are expected to be unveiled in a Senate report handed down on Wednesday.
Mr Baty said the caps could lead to Australia's international standings in the university sector being reduced.
"Many in the sector are very worried about forthcoming international student caps, which may further erode income for some top institutions, as well as diminish Australia's world-leading reputation as an open and internationally facing sector," he said.
The report said Australia's average score for international students had dropped for the second year in a row, following repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The higher education rankings are measured across 18 metrics, such as teaching, research and international students.
Oxford University came out on top in the global standings, followed by MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Cambridge.
- With Australian Associated Press
