The Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

IRISH UNIVERSITIES HAVE fallen down in the global rankings, according to a report released tonight.

Six of the eight top-ranked Irish universities have lost ground in the QS World University Rankings 2019.

The rankings are based on a number of factors including academic and employer reputation.

Trinity College Dublin has lost its place in the top 100 universities, falling from 88th to 104th.

How the Dublin universities fare QS World University Rankings 2019 QS World University Rankings 2019

University College Dublin fell from 168th place to 193rd, NUI Galway dropped from 243rd to 260th, University College Cork fell from 283rd to 338th, Dublin City University dropped from 391st to 422nd, while Dublin Institute of Technology fell from the 651-700 category to the 751-800 category.

The University of Limerick, which remained in the 501-550 category, and Maynooth University, which remained in the 701-750 category, are the only two Irish institutions which didn’t drop in the rankings.

The top three universities are Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Harvard University (all in the US).

The top six universities QS World University Rankings 2019 QS World University Rankings 2019

‘Disappointing but not a surprise’

Reacting to the news, the Irish Universities Association (IUA) said the fall by most Irish universities in the rankings is “disappointing but not a surprise”.

Irish universities have endured a decade of under-investment. The impact of the funding cuts over the years, while invisible in the short-term, are now being seen directly as our universities are out-performed by better funded international competitors.

“The ongoing capping of staff levels by government under the Employment Control Framework, while student numbers have grown by a third, is now having a direct impact on our quality rankings,” the organisation said in a statement.

Jim Miley, Director General of the IUA, said the fall in rankings should be “a warning light to government that the quality talent pipeline will be jeopardised unless the funding deficit is addressed”.

“There are serious concerns that a continued failure to address the third-level funding crisis will directly damage the Irish economy in future years,” he added.