Top Universities in Australia 2021

Australia features 36 universities in the recently released QS World University Rankings 2021. Of these, only six have fallen in rank this year, with the majority of Australian universities making significant improvements.

Australian National University (ANU) is once again the top university in Australia this year, despite dropping two places in the rankings.

The rankings are based on a methodology which assesses each university on its academic and employer reputations, research impact and more.

Read on for a closer look at the country’s top 10 universities, as well as a brief overview of how the other 26 performed.

QS World University Rankings 2021 – Top 10 Universities in Australia
Aus. Rank	Global Rank	University
1	31=	Australian National University (ANU)
2	40	University of Sydney
3	41	University of Melbourne
4	44	University of New South Wales (UNSW)
5	46	University of Queensland (UQ)
6	55	Monash University
7	92	University of Western Australia (UWA)
8	106=	University of Adelaide
9	133=	University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
10	196	University of Wollongong

10. University of Wollongong

 

Entering the Australian top 10 this year is the University of Wollongong, placing 196^th in the world after rising an incredible 16 places. The university performs well for the citations per faculty indicator, ranking 75^th in the world – a reflection of its high quality of research output 

The University of Wollongong was originally founded in 1975 on the donations of local people. Since then the university has acted in partnership with its communities to make an impact in the Illawarra region and to address society’s economic, environmental, social and medical challenges.

9. University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

In joint 133^rd, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has risen seven places in the world university rankings this year. UTS scores exceptionally well in the citations per faculty, international students and employer reputation indicators, ranking 67^th, 78^th and 85^th respectively. 

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.

 

8. University of Adelaide

 

Established in 1874, the University of Adelaide is Australia’s third oldest university and places joint 106^th place this year in the world university rankings.

The University of Adelaide ranks 44^th worldwide for the international students indicator and more than 7,860 of the university’s 21,142 students are international students from over 100 different countries.

7. University of Western Australia (UWA)

The first of seven Australian universities to feature in the top 100 in the world, the University of Western Australia falls five places in the rankings to 92^nd in 2021.

UWA outscores all of the Australian universities above it for both the proportion of international faculty members and the number of citations per faculty member (a measure of research output).

6. Monash University

Monash University climbs three places this year, to steal 55^th position. It ranks among the world’s 50 best universities for its academic reputation indicator (43^rd) and earns a perfect score in the international students indicator.

Monash University is mainly based in Melbourne but has five campuses in the state of Victoria and two overseas, in Malaysia and South Africa.

5. University of Queensland (UQ)

Entering the five top universities in Australia now, we start with the University of Queensland (UQ), which rises one place this year to claim 46^th.

The university’s alumni include two Nobel laureates, Peter C. Dogerty and John Harsanyi; Academy Award winner, Geoffrey Rush; and leaders in government, law, science, public service and the arts. Researchers from UQ have been responsible for a number of recent innovations, such as the cervical cancer vaccine.

4. University of New South Wales (UNSW)

In 44^th place is the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Despite falling one place in this year’s world university ranking, the University of New South Wales remains in fourth place in Australia.

UNSW is a founding member of the Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive universities. The university places in the top 50 for all but one of the indicators, performing less well in the faculty student ratio indicator.

3. University of Melbourne

 

The University of Melbourne drops three places in the world rankings this year, placing 41^st in the world. A member of the Group of Eight, it boasts the title of being the highest ranked Australian university for both academic and employer reputation and ranks in the world top 30 for both.

The university also performs well in the international students indicator and international students make up 42 percent of its student population, coming from more than 130 countries.

2. University of Sydney

After rising two places this year, the University of Sydney is Australia’s second-best university, ranking 40^thworldwide. It earns perfect scores in the international faculty and international students indicators.

Founded in 1850, the University of Sydney was Australia’s first university and is a member of the Group of Eight.

1. Australian National University (ANU)

Australian National University (ANU) is the top Australian university for another year running, scoring well across almost all of the indicators, including the academic reputation, international faculty, international students and citations per faculty ratio indicators, which all rank within the top 50 worldwide.

The main ANU campus is located in Acton, Canberra, but there are also campuses in New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

The remaining 26 Australian universities are ranked as follows.

QS World University Rankings 2021 – Top Universities in Australia
Aus. Rank	Global Rank	University
11	=197	University of Newcastle, Australia (UON)
12	=214	Macquarie University
=13	=217	Curtin University
=13	=217	Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
15	=223	RMIT University
16	=275	Deakin University
17	=295	University of Southern Australia (UniSA)
18	=303	Griffith University
19	=308	University of Tasmania
20	372	Swinburne University of Technology
21	=398	La Trobe University
22	=414	Bond University
23	=423	Flinders University
24	=456	University of Canberra
25	=462	James Cook University (JCU)
26	=474	Western Sydney University
27	551-560	Victoria University
28	571-580	Murdoch University
29	591-600	Central Queensland University
30	651-700	Edith Cowan University (ECU)
=31	701-750	Charles Darwin University
=31	701-750	University of Southern Queensland
33	751-800	Southern Cross University
=34	801-1000	Australian Catholic University
=34	801-1000	Charles Sturt University
=34	801-1000	University of New England Australia