Top universities in Australia by subject

Australian National University (11th) ranked the highest for Earth and marine sciences this year. It receives its highest score in the citations per paper indicator. 

Four universities out of 20 in Australia rank within the top 50 for economics and econometrics courses. The top-ranked institution in Australia is Monash University which is ranked 34th overall. 

Out of 28 universities in this year’s education and training subject rankings, The University of Melbourne (12th) ranked the highest followed by Monash University (19th) and The University of Sydney (26th). 

The University of New South Wales (41st) ranked highest this year for electrical and electronic engineering. It received its highest score in the citations per paper indicator. 

Out of 15 universities in this year’s English language and literature subject rankings, The University of Sydney (18th) ranked the highest for English language and literature courses. 

Four out of 28 Australian universities rank within the top 50 for the environmental science subject ranking. The highest-ranked of these is The University of Queensland (20th). 

For the geography subject ranking, Australian National University (ninth) ranks within the top 10 this year, followed by The University of Melbourne (17th) and The University of Sydney (21st) which are also in the top 50. 

There are 13 universities in the geology subject rankings this year, six of which rank within the global top 50. The highest-ranked of these is Australian National University (11th). 

Australian National University ranked highest this year of six universities in the subject rankings for geophysics. Its global rank for this subject is 11th. 

Three universities out of 11 in Australia rank within the top 50 for history courses. The top-ranked one is Australian National University which ranked 13th overall. 

Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (22nd) ranked the highest in the hospitality and leisure management subject rankings this year. It scored particularly highly in academic reputation. 

The University of Melbourne ranked 11th in the world for law and legal studies. It received the highest score of 19 Australian universities featured in the rankings. 

There are four universities in the library and information management subject rankings this year but University of Technology Sydney (23rd) is the only institution which ranks within the global top 25. 

This year, 13 universities in Australia offer ranked courses in linguistics. The highest-ranked of these is The University of Melbourne which ranked 26th globally for the subject. It received its highest score for employer reputation. 

There is only one university this year that features on the marketing subject rankings. The University of Melbourne ranked 17th globally and receives its highest score for employer reputation. 

Two out of 16 Australian universities rank within the top 50 for the materials sciences subject ranking. The highest-ranked of these is Monash University (32nd). 

18 top universities offer degrees in mathematics this year. The highest ranked of these is The University of Melbourne (43rd) which received its highest score in the citations per paper indicator. 

Of the 19 Australian entries to the mechanical engineering subject ranking this year, only The University of New South Wales (49th) ranks within the top 50 worldwide. 

There are 26 Australian universities offering a course in medicine this year including three in the global top 50. The top-ranked of these is The University of Melbourne (24th) which received its highest score for citations per paper. 

There are 11 universities in the mineral and mining engineering subject rankings this year, four of which rank within the global top 10. The highest ranking of these is Curtin University (2nd). 

The University of Melbourne scored highest in the modern languages rankings this year, at 35th. It was closely followed by The University of Sydney (41st) and Australian National University (46th) which are also in the top 50. 

There are 20 Australian universities offering courses in nursing this year. The University of Sydney is the highest-ranked of these, placing 13th globally. 

Of the six Australian universities in this year’s performing arts subject rankings, five ranked 51-100. These are Edith Cowan University, Griffith University, Monash University, The University of Melbourne, and The University of Sydney. 

For the Petroleum engineering subject ranking, The University of Adelaide (seventh) ranks within the top 10 this year, followed by The University of New South Wales (13th) and The University of Queensland (20th) which are also in the top 20. 

There are 17 universities in the Pharmacy and pharmacology subject rankings this year, four of which rank within the global top 50. The top ranked of these is Monash University which is placed second worldwide. 

For philosophy this year, four out of 10 Australian universities rank within the top 50 worldwide. The highest-ranked of these is Australian National University (8th). 

There are 18 universities in the physics and astrology subject rankings this year, three of which rank within the global top 100. The top-ranked of these is Australian National University, ranked 42nd worldwide. 

Australian National University scored highest in the politics rankings this year, ranked 10th. It received its highest score for academic reputation and was the only Australian university to feature in the global top 10. 

There are five Australian entries to the top 50 in the psychology subject rankings this year. The highest-ranked of these is The University of Melbourne which ranks 19th overall. 

Out of six Australian universities in the subject rankings this year, The University of Melbourne (23rd) was the only institution to rank within the global top 25. 

There are 19 Australian universities in the sociology subject rankings this year. The highest-ranked of these is Australian National University which places 17th globally. 

For the sports-related subject ranking, The University of Queensland (second) ranks within the top 10 this year, alongside The University of Sydney (fourth) and Deakin University (seventh). 

Of the 12 Australian universities in this year’s subject rankings, six are ranked 51-100. These are Monash University, Australian National University, The University of Melbourne, The University of New South Wales, The University of Queensland, and The University of Sydney. 

Australian Catholic University ranked highest this year of six universities in the subject rankings for theology, divinity and religious studies. Its global rank for this subject is 34th. 

Five top universities offer degrees in veterinary science this year. The highest-ranked of these is The University of Sydney (23rd) which received its highest score in the employer reputation indicator. 

How many universities are there in Australia? 

There are a total of 38 universities in Australia ranked by QS within the QS World University Rankings by Subject. There may be other universities within Australia which are not ranked by QS. 

What GPA do you need to go to university in Australia? 

Each Australian university will have different entry requirements. Generally, the top-ranked universities such as The University of Melbourne, The University of New South Wales or the University of Sydney will require a GPA of around 3.0-3.5 but it is important to check the entry requirements on the university’s official website for accurate information. 

How do you apply for university in Australia? 

In many cases applications for an Australian university is available on the official website. If not, the website should be able to inform you on how to submit an application. If the website is unclear, the university will always provide contact details which you can use to ask for more information. 

How long is a semester in an Australian university? 

A semester is around five months long. The academic year in Australia is made up of three semesters. The first one is from February to June. The second takes place from July to November. The third is shorter and takes place from December to February.  

Most universities will only require students to work during the first two semesters and break for the third. Some courses and universities will require students to study during all three semesters.