August 15, 2016
The Go8 is proud it has enabled Australia to claim six universities in the world’s top 100; with the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University released today.
“The ARWU is considered by many experts the premier global university ranking system and so the results are extremely significant,” says Group of Eight (Go8) Chief Executive Vicki Thomson. “We are proud that we have six of our eight members in the top 100 this year, up from four last year and all eight in the Top 150 globally.
“It is also important to note that more than half of Australia’s public universities are now in the list of the world’s best 500 research universities.” Ms Thomson said it was yet again food for thought for politicians and the community that such research based rankings not only prove the quality of our sector in an international context but also advertise Australia as a quality destination for international students – the key component of Australia’s $19 Billion international education industry.
“We know definitively that it is our rankings which sell our higher education sector to the world. If these drop we will take an economic and jobs hit that Australia can ill afford,” she said.
“This is one reason the Go8 has been so vocal about the need to ensure Australia’s research is sustainably funded. More generally, Australian Higher Education research and education are central to an innovative and job creating economy.
“The Go8 is committed to working with the Government through its current reform process to ensure that the Australian Higher Education system delivers on both research and teaching in an integrated, strategic and sustainable way deep in to the 21st Century.”
Contact: Vicki Thomson, Group of Eight Chief Executive on +61 438 047 155
Note: The Go8 is Australia’s premier group of research intensive universities. The Go8 educates 26% of Australia’s students. One in three international students who choose to come to Australia study at a Go8 university. In research we account for two thirds of all research funding to Australian Universities, and each year it spends some $6 Billion on research (of which $2.5 Billion is funded by Government).
