The University of Canterbury has the following subjects ranked in the world’s top 300 (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024):
| Subject | QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024 (released April 2024) |
| Accounting and Finance | Top 300 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | Top 150 |
| Arts and Humanities | =306th in the world |
| Earth and Marine Sciences | Top 200 |
| Education and Training | Top 250 |
| Engineering and Technology | =316th in the world |
| Engineering – Civil and Structural | Top 100 |
| Engineering – Electrical and Electronic | Top 300 |
| Engineering – Mechanical | Top 300 |
| English Language and Literature | Top 300 |
| Environmental Sciences | Top 250 |
| Geography | Top 100 |
| Geology | Top 200 |
| Geophysics | Top 200 |
| Law and Legal Studies | Top 250 |
| Linguistics | =71st in the world |
| Modern Languages | Top 300 |
| Politics | Top 200 |
| Psychology | Top 250 |
| Social Sciences and Management | =315th in the world |
5 Star University
In 2011, the University of Canterbury was the first New Zealand university to receive the 5 Star rating by QS and has maintained its 5 Star status since then.
The QS website states “A typical five-star institution is generally world-class in a broad range of areas, enjoys an excellent reputation and has cutting-edge facilities and internationally renowned research and teaching faculty.”
