Australia University Rankings 2027 - Best universities in Australia

Discover the Times Higher Education Australia University Rankings 2027 and compare the 37 institutions that rank the highest in the country.
THE’s list ranks the best universities in Australia based on a comprehensive evaluation that covers areas such as teaching quality, research excellence, industry partnerships, and international outlook.
The solid methodology behind the rankings is trusted by students, academic, policymakers, and industry leaders worldwide.

Published on September 30 2026

Last updated September 29 2026

Top universities in Australia 2027

Australia Rank 2027	World University Rank 2027	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	=34	University of Melbourne	80.9	70.9	78.9	87.9	99.5	90.6
2	=51	The University of Sydney	76.3	60.1	71	91.2	99.2	88
3	61	Monash University	74.7	54.9	67.1	94.3	99.6	90.6
4	=73	The University of Queensland	71.2	53.6	63.6	87.4	99.6	90.5
5	=75	UNSW Sydney	71.1	51.5	60.7	91.5	97.6	92.4
6	77	Australian National University	71	57.4	63.5	84.3	83.5	92.7
7	=141	Adelaide University	62.9	36.4	49.9	90	99.6	89.4
8	152	University of Technology Sydney	62.3	37.2	43.9	93.5	90.6	92.3
9	=161	Macquarie University	61.8	36.9	43.8	92.5	99	87.3
10	=173	The University of Western Australia	61.2	36.4	45.5	87.6	98.8	93.7
11	218	Deakin University	58.5	32.7	38.4	92.2	86.4	87.7
12	=222	Queensland University of Technology	58.2	34.2	42.2	90.4	88.6	69.3
13	=239	RMIT University	57.4	36.2	38.7	84.7	79.4	92.5
14	=247	University of Wollongong	57.2	33.4	37.6	86.3	91.1	92.2
15	266	Griffith University	56.5	30.2	41.9	85.5	83.2	86.2
16	=277	University of Tasmania	55.9	33.7	38.1	82.5	87.9	88.4
17	291	La Trobe University	55.5	27.5	37.5	88.9	79.8	87.9
18	=292	Curtin University	55.4	28.6	36.3	87.1	79.9	94.6
19	294	Swinburne University of Technology	55.3	28.3	33.8	92.8	79.6	81.7
20	295	University of Newcastle	55.2	29.3	37.9	86	88.3	82.7
=21	301–325	Flinders University	53.4–54.8	28.9	38.8	83.8	67.6	87.6
=21	301–325	Western Sydney University	53.4–54.8	29.4	32.9	87.2	67.8	88.2
23	326–350	James Cook University	52.3–53.3	27.6	33.9	85.3	72.3	82.3
24	351–375	Edith Cowan University	51.6–52.2	24	26.9	91.2	68.8	90.2
25	376–400	University of Southern Queensland	50.5–51.5	28.2	28.2	85	62.8	81.3
=26	401–450	Australian Catholic University	48.9–50.4	16.8	26.6	96.1	40.1	85.2
=26	401–450	Bond University	48.9–50.4	28.8	24	88.2	28.2	80.4
=26	401–450	Murdoch University	48.9–50.4	26.9	29.2	77	74.7	94.1
=26	401–450	University of Canberra	48.9–50.4	23.3	32.9	78.8	60.9	85.7
=30	451–500	Central Queensland University	47.4–48.7	19.4	29.2	86.1	51.8	83.9
=30	451–500	Charles Darwin University	47.4–48.7	24.3	30.2	79.1	53.8	82.9
32	501–550	Federation University Australia	46.0–47.3	20.5	21.7	83.7	61.8	85.4
=33	551–600	Southern Cross University	44.5–45.9	22.5	30.2	71.3	67.4	78.4
=33	551–600	University of the Sunshine Coast	44.5–45.9	20.7	31.9	72.4	71	67.5
=33	551–600	Victoria University	44.5–45.9	24	27.6	76.2	56.7	73
36	651–700	Charles Sturt University	42.4–43.3	18.7	22.5	81.4	52	58.9
37	801–1000	The University of Notre Dame Australia	36.4–40.1	28.4	19.8	55.2	27.2	62.9

Key insights from the 2027 THE Australia University Rankings

37 Australian universities are featured in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2027, showing the country’s strong presence in global higher education.
The University of Melbourne remains the highest-ranked Australian institution, holding the top spot in the country for over a decade. The University of Melbourne is recognised for its excellent research quality, contributions to industry and its international outlook.
Monash University and the University of Sydney follow closely with outstanding scores for the industry metric, which reflects a university’s abilities to drive innovation and collaborate with businesses through research, consultancy and technology transfer.
New South Wales has the most universities in the rankings, including UNSW Sydney, University of Technology Sydney and Macquarie University, reflecting the state’s academic excellence.
Public universities have a strong presence, with institutions like Australian National University, The University of Queensland and The University of Western Australia featuring in the ranking.

Choosing the right university in Australia

Australia has the third-highest number of international students in the world, behind only the UK and the US – that’s impressive for a nation of only 28 million people.

Students that consider the top universities in Australia should evaluate relevant factors such as programme offerings, campus culture, location and tuition fees. Australia’s institutions offer a range of options, whether you are seeking world-class research, strong industry connections or a vibrant student experience.

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Use the Australia university rankings above to explore institutions that align with your academic and career goals.

The table for the best universities in Australia was derived from data collected from the THE World University Rankings. The results are calculated using 17 performance indicators underlying five metrics: research environment, teaching (the learning environment), research quality, industry and international outlook. For more insights and a detailed breakdown of our ranking methodology, visit our methodology page.