University of Otago
The University of Otago, established in 1869 in Dunedin, New Zealand, holds the distinction of being the country's oldest university. Funded by the region's gold rush, it has developed a strong reputation, particularly in disciplines such as sport, dentistry, and anatomy. The university serves approximately 19,174 full-time equivalent students and employs around 4,097 staff as of 2022. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various fields, including Humanities, Health Sciences, Sciences, and Commerce. Notable alumni include politicians, scientists, and athletes, reflecting the university's diverse impact on society. The institution is recognized for its vibrant student culture, with students making up a significant portion of Dunedin's population. While it has faced challenges related to student behavior, recent efforts have been made to promote a healthier campus environment. Overall, the University of Otago represents a blend of rich history, academic diversity, and a strong community spirit.
On this Page
University of Otago
Date founded: 1869
Colleges or faculties: Humanities; Health Sciences; Sciences; Commerce
Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
Type: Public
Size: 19,174 full-time equivalent students (2022); 4,097 full-time equivalent staff (2022)
The University of Otago is New Zealand’s oldest university. Founded in 1869 and bankrolled by Dunedin’s gold rush, it has grown to become a highly regarded university nationally and internationally, especially in the fields of sport, dentistry, and anatomy and physiology. The University of Otago has a variety of notable alumni from politicians to scientists.
History
The settlement of Dunedin was established in 1848 by the Otago Association. They envisaged the settlement growing to hold a university. This dream was realised quickly, as the discovery of gold in 1861 generated the capital required to found an institution for higher learning. The University of Otago was founded in 1869 with funding from the Otago Provincial Council and an endowed 100,000 acre parcel of pastoral land. In 1871, the university opened, conferring its first degree in 1874. In fact, this degree (a Bachelor of Arts granted to Alexander Watt Williamson) was the only degree awarded by the University of Otago until it became an affiliated college of the University of New Zealand, the examining and degree-granting body, in 1961. After the University of New Zealand dissolved, the University of Otago’s power to confer degrees was restored.
The university first conducted teaching in the disciplines of Arts, Medicine, Law and Music. The University of Otago was the first Australasian university to allow women to earn a degree in law. The first female law graduate was Ethel Benjamin, who graduated with an LLB in 1897. She went on to become the British Empire’s first woman to appear as counsel in court. In 1907, the School of Dentistry was founded, followed by the School of Home Science in 1911. Teaching in accountancy and commerce subjects began in 1912. Teaching began in the Faculty of Theology in 1946, and the School of Physical Education opened in 1947. In 2007, the Dunedin College of Education merged with the university to form the University of Otago College of Education, with campuses in Dunedin and Invercargill. Other University of Otago campuses outside of Dunedin include Health Sciences campuses in Christchurch and Wellington, an information and teaching centre in Auckland, and an information office in Wellington.
Impact
Among the University of Otago’s notable alumni are poets, politicians, writers, scientists, business people, artists, teachers and lawyers. Rui Maria de Araújo, prime minister of East Timor from 2015 to 2017, has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Otago. Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright, the eighteenth governor-general of New Zealand, has a bachelor’s degree in Laws and Legislation from the university. Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist and Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna (2010–2014), earned her PhD in physics in 1981. Othman was the first woman to receive a doctorate in physics from the university.
There are several prominent athletes in the university’s alumni ranks. These include several All Blacks rugby players, such as Anton Oliver, a retired New Zealand rugby union player who has degrees in Commerce (Finance) and Physical Education from the University of Otago. The Otago University Rowing Club boasts numerous high-profile rowers as alumni, including Olympic medallists Hamish Bond, Nathan Cohen and Rebecca Scown. The University of Otago is highly regarded internationally, especially in the fields of Sport, Anatomy and Physiology, Dentistry, Archaeology and Development Studies.
From 3,000 students enrolled in 1961, the University of Otago grew to 19,174 full-time equivalent students in 2022. As the university has grown, the subjects it offers has diversified. Undergraduate programs now include topics from surveying to radiation therapy, and there are a number of specialised postgraduate programs across a variety of disciplines. The student body has also diversified, though not to the same extent as larger, more cosmopolitan New Zealand universities like the University of Auckland. The ethnicities of students at the University of Otago in 2022 were European/Pākehā (74.7%), Asian (19.1%), Māori (12.4%) and Pacifika (6.5%).
The University of Otago is renowned for its vibrant and distinct student culture. Students, sometimes referred to as “scarfies”, make up about a fifth of Dunedin’s population. Numerous parties and parades are thrown in Dunedin throughout the year and the university houses much of the student body, facilitating a student-centred atmosphere. In the first decade of twenty-first century, observers noted that a culture of alcoholism and disorderly behaviour had grown up around the university. A 2018 study suggests that the university’s efforts to address the issue were most likely partly responsible for a decline in self-reported intoxication between 2005 and 2013.
Bibliography
“Annual Report 2022.” University of Otago, 2023, www.otago.ac.nz/‗‗data/assets/pdf‗file/0015/320118/download-the-university-of-otago-annual-report-2022-0244376.pdf. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Block, George. “Heavy Drinking at Otago Uni Falls.” Otago Daily Times, 8 Dec. 2018. www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/university-of-otago/heavy-drinking-otago-uni-falls. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Dungey, Kim. “Scarfie Culture Laid Bare.” The New Zealand Herald, 18 Feb. 2006. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c‗id=1&objectid=10368988. Accessed 2 Jan. 2019.
McPhee, Elena. “Boosting Female Professor Numbers a Slow Process.” Otago Daily Times, 21 Dec. 2018. www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/university-of-otago/boosting-female-professor-numbers-slow-process. Accessed 2 Jan. 2019.
McPhee, Elena. “Māori Health Graduates Landmark.” Otago Daily Times, 6 Dec. 2018. https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/Māori-health-graduates-landmark. Accessed 2 Jan. 2019.
“QS World University Rankings 2025: Top Global Universities.” Quacquarelli Symonds, 4 June 2024, www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?page=4. Accessed 12 June 2024.
“Quick Statistics.” University of Otago, 2023, www.otago.ac.nz/about/quickstats. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Ross, Charles Stuart. Education and Educationists in Otago. Wise, Caffin & Company, 1890.