Wellington's heart of Innovation and Economic Development
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is one of New Zealand’s oldest and most prestigious tertiary institutions with a proud tradition of academic excellence. Learn more about our 125 years of rich history.
Research
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is renowned for its high-quality research and exceptional teaching. We attract people from around the world. More than 1,800 publications resulting from our researchers’ work were indexed in Scopus in 2024.
Global rankings
Victoria University of Wellington consistently ranks among the top 300 of the world’s universities in the QS World University Rankings
Outstanding quality
Victoria University of Wellington has an overall rating of Five Stars Plus—the maximum possible in the QS Stars University Ratings system.
According to QS, “Five Stars Plus-rated universities go above and beyond excellence, consistently delivering exceptional performance in every single category. From outstanding student satisfaction to cutting-edge research, they set the gold standard for higher education.”
Our university is one of only 22 in the world to achieve this outstanding rating. It’s a mark of our exceptional performance across multiple indicators, including academic reputation, student satisfaction, graduate employment rate, international collaborations, and campus facilities.
At the top
Overall, Victoria University of Wellington is in the top 2 percent of the world’s universities.
We are in the top 1% of the world's universities for 14 subjects and in the top 2% for 29 subjects in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
We have six subjects in the top 100 of the QS rankings:
- Development Studies
- English Language and Literature
- Law
- Library and Information Management
- Linguistics
- Theology/Divinity and Religious Studies
Victoria University of Wellington has eight further subjects in the top 150— Anthropology, Classics & Ancient History, Geography, Hospitality & Leisure Management, Performing Arts, Politics & International Studies, Psychology, Sociology—and eight further subjects in the top 200—Accounting & Finance, Communication & Media Studies, Earth & Marine Sciences, Education, Geology, Geophysics, History, Philosophy.
Among universities in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are ranked first in two subjects—Library and Information Management, and Politics and International Studies. We are ranked second overall in Aotearoa for the subject areas Art and Humanities, and Social Sciences and Management.
