
Top Universities To Study in Australia: Home to more than 330,000 international students, Australia is one of the world’s most popular study abroad destinations. And with good reason – Australia has an excellent higher education system, with plenty of world-class universities to choose from.
This page takes a look at how Australian institutions fare in the three main global university league tables.
Australian universities in global rankings
The following table gives the top 20 universities in Australia in 2021. Information is based on the current rankings published by Times Higher Education, QS and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Each uses its own methodology. You can find out more in our guide to university rankings for postgraduate study.
University | THE 2021 | QS 2021 | ARWU 2020 |
University of Melbourne | 31 | 41 | 35 |
University of Sydney | =51 | 40 | 74 |
Australian National University | 59 | =31 | 67 |
University of Queensland | =62 | 46 | 54 |
Monash University | =64 | 55 | 85 |
UNSW Sydney | 67 | 44 | 74 |
University of Adelaide | =118 | =106 | 151-200 |
University of Western Australia | 139 | 92 | 85 |
University of Technology Sydney | =160 | =133 | 201-300 |
University of Canberra | =184 | =456 | 601-700 |
Queensland University of Technology | 186 | =217 | 301-400 |
Macquarie University | =195 | =214 | 201-300 |
Curtin University | 201-250 | =217 | 201-300 |
Griffith University | 201-250 | =303 | 301-400 |
James Cook University | 201-250 | =462 | 301-400 |
La Trobe University | 201-250 | =398 | 301-400 |
University of Wollongong | 201-250 | 196 | 201-300 |
Australian Catholic University | 251-300 | 801-1000 | 501-600 |
Deakin University | 251-300 | =275 | 201-300 |
Flinders University | 251-300 | =423 | 401-500 |
Information in this table is based on the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities. Visit their websites for more information.
Find More list of Universities here.
So, how good are Australian universities for Masters study?
Australia performs impressively in the three main world university rankings, with eight institutions featuring in the top seven of each league table. There’s impressive strength in depth, too – the top 20 Australian universities are all among the best 300 in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Outside the traditional academic powerhouses of America and the UK, Australia more than earns its place as one of the most popular destinations for international postgraduates, combining research and teaching excellence.