A world-class education
Over the past decade, focused efforts have been made to attract a diverse student body who we are committed to supporting to reach their full academic potential, including students from our equity target groups, and to provide excellent educational opportunities for them. Particular attention has been paid to the recruitment and retention of Māori and Pacific students and to establishing pathway programmes that will meet the needs of students from these communities.
The University is known for its outstanding teachers with success in national teaching excellence competitions, winning more than 35 National Teaching Excellence Awards since their introduction in 2001. The University supports excellent learning and teaching through a variety of tailored initiatives, including the TeachWell@UOA teaching capability framework.
The University uses Canvas as its institutional learning management system and has accelerated its capability in utilising educational technologies, tools and systems to support flexible pathways and diverse educational experiences for our students. A central Learning Design Service, Ranga Auaha Ako, supports curricula design and innovative delivery, deploying a range of course delivery methods within the context of our campus-based strategy that optimise educational opportunities for students. The pandemic accelerated the update of digital tools in learning delivery and staff continue to adopt best practice from what has been learnt during this time.
The University’s graduate profile ensures that our curricula have a shared set of high-level goals and aspirations (with an emphasis on global citizenship, creativity and leadership), which are clearly articulated for students as they embark on their programmes of study. The graduate profile has recently been refreshed in line with the aspirations outlined in the University’s strategy, Taumata Teitei, and the capabilities required by graduates to succeed as citizens, scholars, innovators and leaders. Underpinning the curriculum are the Curriculum Taumata, guiding principles that advance the University’s commitment to open intellectual inquiry, collaboration, creativity, and equity and diversity founded on the Te Ao Māori principles of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga. The Taumata present a holistic set of aspirations we are seeking to realise through the curriculum.
A clear vision for the future of Waipapa Taumata Rau education, supported by a range of plans, an annual cycle of quality assurance and developmental initiatives, and a partnership with students, will see the educational experience transformed over coming years ensuring a tertiary experience that will be highly distinctive, recognisable, and sought-after by learners, staff, and wider communities both nationally and internationally.
In this rapidly growing, diverse and busy city, the University maintains a strong investment in our learning infrastructure. This includes libraries containing important collections of New Zealand and international intellectual heritage in addition to digital subscriptions to the major publishers. Our new buildings have a range of flexible classroom designs for active and peer learning.
While pursuing our mission as a primarily campus-based centre of learning and research, we actively explore the opportunities presented by alternative delivery models. The University of Auckland Online (UoA Online) is the University’s dedicated online learning portfolio, supporting accessibility, flexibility, and revenue diversification through over 50 and rising online education products aligned to workforce needs. These include master’s degrees, micro-credentials, pathways, certificates, and diplomas for working professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. In 2025, the University was ranked 48th globally in Online Studies in the Top Global Leaders in Digital Talent Development ranking by Emerging Group, affirming its strength in delivering impactful, future-focused online education.
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