USP rises up 200 places in world ranking

The University of the South Pacific (USP) has climbed up 200 places in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. 

The University is now in the 801–1000 band of ranked universities, reinforcing its reputation as the premier institution for higher learning in the region. 

With over 20,000 universities across the globe that are included in the International Handbook of Universities, only around 8% are accepted for ranking by THE and it is a remarkable achievement for USP to be the only university in our region to be amongst this elite group of the world’s best universities.

The 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings assessed 2,092 institutions from 115 countries across numerous performance indicators covering teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. 

Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia said the significant climb up the rankings reflects USP’s determination and relentless focus on delivering quality education and impactful research to the Pacific region.

This is a significant achievement for our regional university and it is a testament of the hard work and determination of all our staff to deliver quality, world-ranked education – our region deserves nothing less. Improving our ranking by 200 places is no easy feat as even more universities participate every year in this highly competitive process. Our staff, students, alumni, member governments and stakeholders should all be immensely proud of the strides we are making to achieve this global endorsement of our quality and level of excellence.

Professor Pal Alhuwalia