In summary:

• UTS has risen through the QS World University Rankings yet again to reach 160. It has now leapt 112 places in just five years

• In the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings it is the top "young" university in Australia for the fourth year in a row

UTS has risen through the QS World University Rankings yet again to reach 160 in the global review, at the same time reaffirming its longstanding position as the top young university in Australia in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings.

UTS rose 16 places from last year’s QS world rankings and has now leapt 112 places in just five years – driven forward by its growing research reputation, its international links and employers’ positive regard for its graduates.

In the THE rankings, it is the fourth year in a row that UTS has been rated the top young university in Australia – defined as one aged 50 or under. UTS, which is celebrating its 30th birthday in 2018, was ranked 16th in the world this year, out of 250 institutions from 55 different countries considered by THE. That’s another big leap, from 83, in the space of five years.

“Though rankings are just one indicator of performance and the overall success of a university, our steady rise over many years demonstrates both our improvement across the board and our increasing international reputation,” UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs said.

“Once you are in the top 200 universities it takes a lot of effort to move even one place in the rankings. I believe that part of our continued success has been due to our focus on innovation, both in research and in teaching. We’ve developed a strong reputation for working closely with industry to ensure our graduates have the skills and experience necessary to be successful in the workforce.”

The QS world rankings cover more than 1000 universities from the pool of nearly 30,000 internationally.

A jump in the rate at which UTS academics are being cited by other researchers was one of the factors behind the university’s rise this year. The global median for “citations per faculty member” was 34.1 but UTS’s result was a high 74.4.

This follows the recent news that UTS was the leader in Australia in a global ranking that measures quality – not just quantity – of research by looking at the proportion of a university’s papers appearing in the world’s top science journals.

UTS’s reputation for producing work-ready graduates was underlined by the QS rankings too, where it was ranked number 64 in the world for “employer reputation”.

“While people often naively talk about ‘the future of work’ as some distant point in time, the future is here, now,” Professor Brungs said. “As the world evolves due to automation, artificial intelligence and technological and societal change, young universities like UTS play a critical role in equipping students with the skills and experiences necessary for successful careers, and to navigate and build an evolving society.

“In addition to preparing students for a lifetime of learning, universities also have a responsibility to help the current workforce upskill and adapt in a changing workplace. At UTS we have been revolutionising our approach to learning and teaching to ensure our graduates are prepared for the workforce now and for all futures.”

UTS also ranks highly in the QS indicators for the “international” nature of its faculty, who come to teach and research here from around the world.

The THE Young University Rankings this year also grouped the “under 50” universities in three tables in order to take a closer look at the different generations of young universities: Generation X universities (founded between 1968 and 1985), Generation Y universities (founded between 1986 and 1999) and Millenial universities (founded since the year 2000).

UTS, founded in 1988, was ranked No.6 among the 50 Generation Y universities listed.

The THE Young University Rankings apply the same rigorous performance indicators as the overall THE World University Rankings, which are out later this year. Young universities are measured across their teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income, though the indicators are recalibrated so the “reputation” measure counts for less, to reflect the special characteristics of younger universities.