Global educational benchmarking agency Quacquarelli Symonds, known as QS Stars, has evaluated Massey University’s performance and given it an overall rating of four stars out of five. While there is no mention of how much Massey paid QS for its ranking, Ireland’s University College Cork (UCC) last year said it paid nearly €22,000 ($35,000) for its QS Stars ranking.

The Irish Examiner wrote at the time the €22,000 fee paid by UCC is the normal charge paid by most institutions taking part in the QS Stars programme.

UCC vice-president for external affairs Trevor Holmes told the Irish Examiner there are plans to raise the proportion of international students from 13 percent – one of the highest of any Irish college – to 20 percent.

“Should UCC’s participation in QS Stars result in attracting a single additional, full-time international student to study at UCC then the costs of participation are covered,” he said.

Massey University’s assistant vice-chancellor (academic and international) Professor Ingrid Day, who commissioned Massey’s evaluation, says it is a strong first-up result that demonstrates to students and research partners that Massey’s core strengths – its teaching, research and the reputation and quality of its academic staff – are not only world-class, but also supported by a multi-campus infrastructure of superb facilities and student support systems.