Australia Has Highest Number Of Universities In THE's 100 Under 50 University Rankings

Australia has the greatest number of high-ranking universities under 50 years old than any other country in the world. Times Higher Education has recently released its 100 Under 50 university ranking list featuring 16 Australian universities.

The University of Technology in Sydney is the highest rated on the list followed by the University of Newcastle. “Australia is now the world’s No. 1 nation when it comes to the new generation of world-class universities,” said Phil Baty, rankings editor of Times Higher Education.

Baty added that while eight of Australia’s oldest universities continue to shine, the country has thriving and young universities that are making their way to the top. He said the diverse nature of Australia’s 16 university in the THE’s 100 Under 50 ranking were established between the 1960s and 1990s. He believes these young universities will assure Australia’s place in the list in the longer term.

Following Australia with the second highest number of universities on the list is Britain with 15 institutions under the 100 Under 50 list. However, most of the British universities were established in the 1960s and would soon be ineligible for ranking in the young universities category in the coming years, reports the Australian Financial Review.

Baty said while there was no indication that Britain’s institutions were on the verge of losing their reputation any time soon, the Times Higher Education findings should be cause for concern since younger universities are beginning to shine. Baty remarked that UK universities should boost their capabilities to compete with young universities from South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The highest-ranked young university in Australia is the University of Technology in Sydney in 21^st place followed by the University of Newcastle in 30^th place. The world’s no. 1 university under 50 years old is École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne from Switzerland while South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology followed close behind.

Baty said the universities in the 100 Under 50 list were “disrupting the old order.” He remarked that the younger universities were able to make a global impact in a short amount of time without the trappings of tradition and accumulated wealth.

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