Current rankings
Times
Higher Education World University Rankings
In 2012-13, the University of Newcastle was ranked in the top three per cent of universities in the world or among the top 276-300 universities by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Times Higher Education rate institutions across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook and use 13 performance indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.
Using the same data, Times Higher Education ranked us 40th in their top '100 under 50' list in 2013 - a list that acknowledges the achievements of the world's newer institutions.This list uses the same set of 13 indicators as the overall world ranking, but gives less weight to subjective indicators of academic reputation.
QS World University Rankings
In 2013, QS World University Rankings also placed the University of 
Newcastle in the top
three per cent in the world, specifically at position 268, and at 26th in the world on their list of the world's highest achieving universities under the age of 50 - the QS Top 50 under 50.
Our ranking improvement of seven places on the QS Top 50 under 50 list was the biggest improvement for any Australian university.
QS use a set of six indicators to present a multi-faceted view of the relative strengths of the world's leading universities.
Ten disciplines in top 200 and rising
Taking a closer look at the 2013 QS World University Rankings, ten University of Newcastle disciplines are now ranked in the top 200 universities across the globe and each is an improvement on previously recorded rankings.
Two of our star performers are in the top 100 in the world - Geography and Engineering (Civil & Structural) and all four of our Engineering disciplines are in the world's best 150.
These outstanding results highlight our consistent delivery of high-impact research and world-class education outcomes. And we just keep getting better.
| 2013 World rank (derived) | 2013 Australian rank | World movement 2012-13 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Geography | 96 | 8 | up 28 positions |
Engineering Civil & Structural | 59 | 7 | up 45 positions |
Engineering Chemical | 122 | 7 | up 37 positions |
Engineering Electrical | 142 | 9 | up 21 positions |
Engineering Mechanical | 131 | 8 | up 46 positions |
English Language and Literature | 149 | 10 | up 46 positions |
Linguistics | 109 | 9 | Not previously ranked |
Education | 128 | 20 | up 23 positions |
Medicine | 157 | 9 | up 6 positions |
Sociology | 185 | 14 | Not previously ranked |
About World university rankings
In the global higher education sector, universities are more and more drawn to independent ranking systems to measure their position in the world.
Each year, various world-wide systems measure our academic and research performance against the world's best universities, including the Ivy League in the USA, the Russell Group in the United Kingdom, the 'Group of 9' in China and of course, Australia's own prestigious institutions.
QS Stars - Rated for Excellence
In 2013 we once again achieved the maximum overall QS Stars ranking of five stars, with five and four star ratings across key areas.
QS Stars gives universities the opportunity to highlight their strengths via awarded recognition and across a broad set of criteria. Over 30 criteria contribute towards the overall assessment grouped into eight categories: research, employability, teaching, infrastructure, internationalisation, innovation, engagement and the institution's standing in specialist subjects.
Excellence in Research Australia (ERA)
In 2012, Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) ranked us equal 7th for our research that is "well above world standard", with the maximum score of five in 22 broad categories. We were the only university to achieve a score of five for our Social Work research.
The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2012 assessment is conducted by the Australian Government to measure the research performance of Australia's higher education institutions.