Top universities in Australia

38 Australian universities are included in the QS World University Rankings 2024, with nine of those included within the top 100 universities in the world. 

The University of Melbourne is the best university in Australia, with its highest indicator scores for international student ratio and academic reputation. 

Read on for a closer look at the top universities in Australia. 

QS World University Rankings 2024: Top universities in Australia
Australia rank	Global rank	University
1	14	The University of Melbourne
=2	=19	The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)
=2	=19	The University of Sydney
4	=34	Australian National University (ANU)
5	42	Monash University
6	43	The University of Queensland
7	72	The University of Western Australia
8	89	The University of Adelaide
9	90	University of Technology Sydney
10	=130	Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia)

10. Macquarie University 

Ranked joint 130th in the world, Macquarie University is located in the heart of Sydney, with more than 45,000 students enrolled. 

 Known in particular for its expertise in business, engineering, health, life sciences and medicine, the university achieved its best indicator score for its ratio of international faculty, while it also performed extremely well for sustainability, a new indicator added for this year. 

9. University of Technology, Sydney 

Established in 1988, UTS is one of the youngest top Australian universities. Their aim is to advance knowledge through research-inspired teaching, using their partnerships with industry, professions and the community. 

Unsurprisingly given this focus, one of its strongest indicator scores is for research citations. Only two universities in the top 10 in Australia out-perform UTS for this particular indicator. 

8. University of Adelaide 

Established in 1874, the University of Adelaide is Australia’s third oldest university and has been ranked 89th in the world this year. 

Six of the top 10 universities in Australia have a perfect score for the international faculty ratio and the University of Adelaide is one of them, also scoring extremely high for international student ratio. 

7. University of Western Australia 

The University of Western Australia is the best-performing institution in the top 10 for the research citations indicator, an area of consistent strength for the university. 

Located in Perth, the university is home to over 25,000 students with approximately one-fifth of them from overseas. 

6. University of Queensland 

Ranked sixth in Australia and 43rd in the world, the University of Queensland offers a high-quality student experience with an extremely diverse faculty and student body (the university receives perfect scores for both). 

The University of Queensland has produced many notable alumni over the years, including two Nobel laureates, Peter C. Dogerty and John Harsanyi; Academy Award winner, Geoffrey Rush; and leaders in government, science and the arts. 

5. Monash University 

Ranked just one place above the University of Queensland globally, Monash University is mainly based in Melbourne but has five campuses in the state of Victoria and two overseas, in Malaysia and South Africa. 

It’s yet another Australian university with perfect scores for internationalisation in faculty and student body, while its next-best score is a tie between academic reputation and research citations. 

4. Australian National University (ANU) 

Previously ranked as the best university in Australia, ANU has to settle for fourth place this year. Its main campus is located in Acton, Canberra, but there are also campuses in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. 

Each of the three universities above ANU this year has a higher score for sustainability and employer reputation. 

=2. University of Sydney 

The next two universities are both ranked in the world’s top 20 and share a rank of joint 19th, making them tied as joint second-best in Australia. 

The first of these, the University of Sydney was founded in 1850 as Australia’s first university and is also a member of the Group of Eight, Australia’s most research-intensive universities. 

=2. University of New South Wales (UNSW) 

No university in Australia has a higher score for international research network than the University of New South Wales and only the University of Western Australia out-performs it for research citations. 

As well as placing great emphasis on research, the university also offers its students fantastic career outcomes. UNSW graduates have the third highest rate of graduate full-time employment and highest salaries of Sydney-based and Go8 universities. 

1. University of Melbourne 

Ranked 14th in the world, the University of Melbourne is the top university in Australia in 2024. It outperforms other Australian institutions for academic reputation and employer reputation, while coming second for employment outcomes to UNSW.  

As with many Australian universities, students can expect a deeply international campus environment. Over 8,000 academic and professional staff support a vibrant student body of around 65,000, including 30,000 international students from over 130 countries around the world. 

Photo by Felix Haumann