Most New Zealand universities have climbed up the ladder in this year's QS World University Rankings

Five of the eight universities have improved their position.

Waikato University has risen in the rankings for the sixth year in a row, to place in the top 30 of institutes worldwide.

Auckland University dropped three places to 88th, Otago dropped one place to 176th, while Lincoln University plummeted 39 places to 356th.

But Universities New Zealand executive director Chris Whelan says New Zealand remains extremely desirable on the global scale.

He says for a small country at the end of the world, having all universities ranked consistently in the top 500 is exceptional.