Top Universities in Australia by City

The best university in the city of Darwin is the appropriately named Charles Darwin University, which is ranked 651-700 in the world.

While the original campus is in Darwin, the university has a presence across Australia, with campuses in nine locations including Alice Springs, Melbourne, Sydney and Palmerston.

Runner-up: None

Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, and is renowned for its booming tourist industry, surfing beaches, theme parks and nightlife.

The only Gold Coast university in the rankings is Bond University, ranked at joint 442^nd in the world, scoring particularly high for international faculty and international students.  

Runner-up: None

The sole entrant in the rankings for the island state of Tasmania is the University of Tasmania in Hobart. It’s ranked 18^th in Australia and joint 291^st in the world, with high scores in the international faculty and international students ranking indicators.

The university also ranks 42^nd in the world for earth and marine sciences.

Runner-up: None

The small city of Lismore in north-eastern New South Wales is home to Southern Cross University, ranked 751-800 in the world. The university is only 23 years old and has additional campuses in Gold Coast and Coffs Harbor, as well as operating The Hotel School Melbourne and The Hotel School Sydney in partnership with Mulpha Australia.

Runner-up: None

Melbourne has seven universities in the world rankings, but top of the pile is the University of Melbourne, ranked second in Australia and 38^th in the world.

It is also the highest-ranked university in Australia for both academic and employer reputation. In the subject rankings, it is sixth in the world for law and legal studies and comes seventh in the world in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings.

Runner-up: Monash University, ranked sixth in Australia and joint 58^th in the world. It also ranks third in the world for pharmacy and pharmacology.

Ranked 10^th in Australia and joint 207^th in the world is the University of Newcastle Australia (UON), which achieved a perfect score for the international faculty ranking indicator.

As well as main campuses in Newcastle, the university also has bases in Central Coast, Sydney, Port Macquarie and Singapore.

Runner-up: None

Located in the capital of Western Australia, Perth, the University of Western Australia is ranked 86^th in the world and seventh in Australia.

It gained a perfect score for international faculty and a near-perfect score for the international students ranking indicator. The university is also ranked fourth in the world for mineral and mining engineering.

Runner-up: Curtin University, ranked 13^th in Australia and 230^th in the world. It also ranks second globally for mineral and mining engineering – so clearly Perth is the place to be for this subject!

One of the industrial and agricultural centers of the north of Australia, Rockhampton is home to Central Queensland University (CQ University Australia).

The university ranks 601-650^th in the world, achieving high scores for the international students and faculty ranking indicators.

Runner-up: None

Possibly the most iconic city in Australia, Sydney is home to six ranked institutions, with the University of Sydney taking the gold medal position. The university is ranked third in Australia and 42^nd in the world, achieving the joint highest score for international students, and the second highest scores for employer reputation and academic reputation.

It’s also ranked fourth in the world for both sports-related subjects and graduate employability.

Runner-up: The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), just misses out on the number one spot, having been ranked fourth in Australia and 43^rd in the world.

Toowoomba, nicknamed the ‘Garden City’, is home to the University of Southern Queensland, ranked 751-800 in the world.

While the main campus is in Toowoomba, the university also has campuses in Springfield and Ipswich. Around 75 percent of students at the university complete their studies online.

Runner-up: None

Ranked 11^th in Australia and joint 212^th in the world is the University of Wollongong on the east coast, which scores particularly highly for the international student and international faculty ranking indicators.

The university is also ranked 17^th in the world for mineral and mining engineering.

Runner-up: None