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Australian universities "stagnate" under the weight of budget cuts in the sector, warned a major academic rating agency.
Six Australian universities have again ranked in the world's top 100 and nine in the top 200 of the Times Higher Education's 2019 World Ranking, but the ranking agency has warned that the country's universities sector.
The University of Melbourne remained the highest with 32 places, followed by the Australian National University (49%), the University of Sydney (59%), the University of Queensland ( 69%) and Monash (84%). four) and the University of New South Wales (96, 11).
However, Ellie Bothwell, THE's global ranking editor, said the situation in Australia was "worrisome," with several universities recording double-digit declines in their rankings.
"Although there are some examples of progress coming from Australia this year, the national picture is a source of concern, with many universities declining or remaining stagnant," she said.
"The country has world-class institutions and immense potential for success on the world stage.
"But you can not support world-class universities and research facilities by cutting funding. To excel, universities need strong investments and they must be able to attract and retain the best research collaborations and global talent.
"As funding cuts grow and pressure builds to limit the number of international students – combined with increased competition from Asia – Australian universities may face a difficult struggle in the years to come."
The warning comes in the context of a period of forced tightening of the belt in the area.
In December, the federal government announced that it would cut $ 2.2 billion from mainly universities through a two-year freeze on Commonwealth grants.
Even though it did not directly limit student places, the decision ended the bipartite agreement on demand-side funding, as universities would no longer receive additional direct subsidies from the Commonwealth if enrollments increased.
The universities have warned that the cuts will unfairly affect regional universities and that 9,500 fewer Australians could attend university in 2018, rising to 19,500 in 2019 and 23,000 in 2020.
The government plans to introduce a performance-based funding mechanism to try to reduce attrition rates and improve graduate outcomes.
Former Education Minister Simon Birmingham also pointed out that the increase in university funding since the introduction of demand-side financing means that the sector has experienced "tremendous growth in the revenues and finances of universities. universities. "
However, Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the comments "should prompt the government to rethink and cancel funding cuts."
"These ranking results confirm our global reputation, but also show that this situation is in danger, unless these reductions are reversed," she said. "We warned for some time of the damage caused by the Australian funding cuts."
Jackson said the decline in the quality of Australian universities would have a detrimental effect on the wider economy.
"Funding cuts are bad for local and international students. They threaten quality, [and] International education is about quality, "she said.
"International students inject nearly $ 32 billion a year into the Australian economy and support 130,000 jobs in Australia. They also bring Australia and the world together and establish important diplomatic and personal ties.
The ranking of the best New Zealand University, the University of Auckland, also fell, ranking above the top 200.
Oxford University won first place for a third consecutive year, with Cambridge in second place. Stanford in the United States remained in third position.
