The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university rankings by subject for 2025 were released this week, and sport-related subjects at Otago have been ranked 11th in the world, up from 12th last year.
It is one of two New Zealand university subjects ranked in the global top 20 — Massey University’s veterinary science entry rose to 19th.
Otago University dean of the school of physical education Prof Elaine Hargreaves said the result was "outstanding".
"I continue to admire and appreciate the work the staff do in the school which has contributed to this ranking.
"We are conducting rigorous and impactful research that addresses national and international contemporary issues in sport and physical activity.
"At the same time, we are providing our students with outstanding learning experiences that enable them to be successful in their chosen careers,’’ she said.
Otago maintained its position as one of New Zealand’s two top-ranked universities, with seven subjects ranked in the top 100 globally.
Alongside sports-related subjects, anatomy and physiology, and dentistry have been ranked in the top 50 subjects globally this year.
Hospitality and leisure management; archaeology; and theology, divinity and religious studies have been ranked in the 51-100 band. Classics and ancient history is in the 101-150 band.
Vice-chancellor Grant Robertson said the results would help boost Otago’s world-class reputation.
"These achievements reflect the efforts of our wonderful staff and teachers who are conducting compelling research every day and who are committed to high-quality educational outcomes.
"One of our strategic goals under Pae Tata is to further enhance our academic standing and global reputation by continuing to improve across all areas of the institution. Part of that is having the rankings performance to match."
QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said higher education was under mounting pressure to evolve.
"The significant decline in employer reputation for many New Zealand entries should serve as a wake-up call for higher education providers.
"They cannot afford to rest on their laurels — they must continue embedding in-demand skills into curricula and fostering stronger industry collaboration to equip graduates to drive real change in the future."
Auckland University was the best-performing university in New Zealand, with five subjects in the top 50 and 27 in the top 100.
The 2025 edition of the QS world university rankings by subject provide an independent comparative analysis of the performance of more than 18,300 individual academic offerings, taken by students at more than 1700 universities from 100 locations across the world, across 55 academic disciplines and five broad faculty areas.
Harvard University was the world’s strongest-performing institution, ranking first in 15 disciplines, followed by MIT which led in 11 subjects.
