Flinders University is among the top 400 universities in the world, according to the prestigious 2014 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Flinders placed in the top 300-400 bracket, along with Curtin, Griffith and several other universities outside the Group of Eight.

Released today (Friday, August 15) by the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the ratings uses six objective indicators to rank world universities; including the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals; the number of highly-cited researchers; the number of published journal articles, and per capita performance of a university.

More than 1,200 universities are ranked by the ARWU every year and the best 500 are published.

Flinders University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Day, said the results highlight Flinders’ strong reputation for research excellence.

“For a university of Flinders’ size to be listed in the top 400 of one of the most exclusive and highly-regarded ranking systems in the world is an excellent result,” Professor Day said.

“The rating places Flinders in the top 18 universities within Australia,” he said.

“Globally it is pleasing to see we have remained in this elite group of world-class universities for several years, which is a reflection of the Flinders’ high calibre research and our thirst for breaking new ground on issues affecting all corners of the world.”

Professor Day also acknowledged the University of Adelaide moving up the list into the 150-200 group: “It’s a great result for South Australia to have its universities ranking so prominently on the global scale.”