Six Australian universities have dropped down a prestigious league table of the world’s top 200 institutions but the University of Melbourne has held onto its prized ranking.
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The latest Times Higher Education world university rankings were accompanied with a warning that funding cuts and intense competition are damaging the reputation of Australian institutions.
The University of Melbourne continued its reign as the top-ranked Australian institution, retaining an overall rank of 32.
It was among nine Australian institutions that made the coveted list of the world's top 200 universities and was followed by the Australian National University, which fell one place to 49.
The University of Sydney climbed from 61 to 59 while the University of Queensland fell from 65 to 69, Monash University dropped from 80 to 84 and the University of NSW plunged from 85 to 96.
The University of Western Australia dropped from 111 to 134, while the University of Adelaide fell one spot to 135.
The editor of the global rankings, Ellie Bothwell, said there were worrying signs for Australian tertiary institutions.
"While there are some examples of progress from Australia this year, the national picture is a cause for concern, with many universities declining or remaining stagnant," she said.
"You can’t sustain world-class universities and research facilities with funding cuts."
Ms Bothwell called for a greater investment in Australian tertiary institutions.
"As funding cuts take hold and pressure mounts to cap international student numbers – combined with intensifying competition from Asia – Australia’s universities could well face an uphill struggle in the coming years.”
The director of the rankings, Phil Baty, said traditional powerhouses in Australia, Europe and the US were also experiencing the effects of "creeping isolationism".
Australian universities have been incredibly critical of the federal government's 2017 decision to cut $2.1 billion from their funding as part of a two-year freeze.
Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the rankings should prompt the government to reconsider its cuts.
"These ranking results confirm our world-class standing – but also show this is at risk unless those cuts are reversed,” she said.
She likened the results to Moody's or S&P; warning a government about downgrades to the economy.
Vicki Thomson, the chief executive of the Group of Eight, which represents Australia's eight leading institutions, said there were "worrying signs of a system under pressure".
She criticised the federal government's recent suggestion that it might force international students to study at regional universities, which she said would restrict their choice.
"If government won’t listen to the sector perhaps it will take heed of global views,” she said.
Ms Thomson said every three international students attending a Group of Eight university pumped $1 million into the Australian economy.
Families look to rankings when choosing a university, and they play an important role in attracting international students to Australia.
Institutions are ranked based on their teaching, research, international outlook, citations and industry income.
This year’s league table ranked the world's top 1250 universities and included 86 countries.
Oxford University clung onto the top position for the third year in a row.
And while US institutions continued to dominate the league table, China’s rise up the prestigious rankings showed no sign of slowing down.
Japan replaced the United Kingdom as the second-most represented nation.
