Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, and offers a broad range of other courses.Victoria had the highest average research grade in the New Zealand Government's Performance-Based Research Fund exercise in 2012, having been ranked 4th in 2006 and 3rd in 2003.