Best universities in Australia 2025
Explore the top universities in Australia based on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Learn more about studying in Australia and find out how to apply to universities Down Under
- Best universities in
Share
Top 10 universities in Australia 2025
Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Australia.
| Australia Rank 2025 | World University Rank 2025 | World University Rank 2024 | University | City | State/territory |
| 1 | 39 | 37 | University of Melbourne | Melbourne | Victoria |
| 2 | =58 | 54 | Monash University | Melbourne | Victoria |
| 3 | 61 | 60 | The University of Sydney | Sydney | New South Wales |
| 4 | =73 | 67 | Australian National University | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory |
| 5 | 77 | 70 | The University of Queensland | Brisbane | Queensland |
| 6 | 83 | 84 | UNSW Sydney | Kensington | New South Wales |
| 7 | =128 | =111 | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| 8 | =149 | =143 | The University of Western Australia | Perth | Western Australia |
| 9 | =154 | 148 | University of Technology Sydney | Sydney | New South Wales |
| 10 | 178 | 180 | Macquarie University | Sydney | New South Wales |
If you’re looking to study in Australia, you will need to know Australia’s top universities.
There are 37 top universities in Australia, according to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2025, and six of them feature in the prestigious top 100, meaning there is no shortage of choice.
The best Australian universities are spread across the country, from Perth in the west to Brisbane in the east, Darwin in the north and Hobart in the south.
The best university in Australia, according to the THE rankings, is the University of Melbourne.
Australia has the third-highest number of international students in the world, behind only the UK and the US – pretty impressive for a nation of just 25 million people.
For students wishing to study in Australia we have a comprehensive guide to applying to university in Australia as well as a breakdown of the costs of studying in Australia.
Our guide will also be useful for applying for a visa to study In Australia.
Top 5 universities in Australia
1. University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne was founded in 1853, making it the country’s second-oldest university.
Nobel prizewinner Peter Doherty (physiology and medicine) and fellows of the Royal Society David Solomon and David Boger all teach or research at Melbourne.
It is home to 47,000 students and 6,500 members of staff, and has 280,000 alumni around the world (some 15 per cent of whom live outside Australia).
More than 12,000 international students are enrolled at the University of Melbourne and, if you do get a place there, you will be among students from 130 countries.
2.Monash University
Monash University was founded in 1958 and is the largest university in Australia.
Famous alumni include musician Nick Cave, Booker Prize-winning novelist Peter Carey and playwright David Williamson.
The university was named after the engineer, military leader and public administrator Sir John Monash.
Students can choose from more than 6,000 courses across 10 faculties: art, design and architecture; arts; business and economics; education; engineering; information technology; law; medicine, nursing and health sciences; pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences; and science.
The university has several campuses across the state and country, as well as international campuses in Malaysia, Italy, India and China. Its numerous libraries house more than 3.2 million items in total.
3. University of Sydney
Founded in 1851, the University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia.
Approximately 46,000 students attend the University of Sydney, representing some 134 nations.
The are more than 280 overseas exchange programmes in place with more than 30 countries.
No fewer than five Australian prime ministers attended the university, including Edmund Barton who, in 1901, won Australia’s first ever federal election.
There are more than 90 research centres at the university undertaking globally recognised research in a range of areas.
4. Australian National University
The Australian National University was established in 1946. It is located in Canberra, Australia’s capital city and seat of government.
ANU was originally created as a postgraduate research university by the Parliament of Australia.
It counts six Nobel prizewinners among its faculty and alumni, and is even run by a Nobel laureate. Brian Schmidt – who won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics (with Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess) for providing evidence that the expansion of the universe is accelerating – is the institution’s vice-chancellor.
ANU has many partnerships with international universities, including the National University of Singapore.
5. The University of Queensland
The University of Queensland has about 40,000 students enrolled, including 12,000 international students from 141 countries.
It also has one of Australia’s largest PhD cohorts, with about 13,800 postgraduate students registered.
Famous graduates include a Nobel laureate, two Fortune 500 company CEOs, Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and poet Bronwyn Lea.
The university’s main campus is located in the green and leafy inner Brisbane suburb of St Lucia – one of the city’s most affluent areas. There are two other campuses and 40 teaching and research sites.
About a third of the students come from overseas, from more than 142 countries.
Top universities in Australia 2025
Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2025 profile.
| Australia Rank 2025 | World University Rank 2025 | World University Rank 2024 | University | City | State/territory |
| 1 | 39 | 37 | University of Melbourne | Melbourne | Victoria |
| 2 | =58 | 54 | Monash University | Melbourne | Victoria |
| 3 | 61 | 60 | The University of Sydney | Sydney | New South Wales |
| 4 | =73 | 67 | Australian National University | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory |
| 5 | 77 | 70 | The University of Queensland | Brisbane | Queensland |
| 6 | 83 | 84 | UNSW Sydney | Kensington | New South Wales |
| 7 | =128 | =111 | University of Adelaide | Adelaide | South Australia |
| 8 | =149 | =143 | The University of Western Australia | Perth | Western Australia |
| 9 | =154 | 148 | University of Technology Sydney | Sydney | New South Wales |
| 10 | 178 | 180 | Macquarie University | Sydney | New South Wales |
| =11 | 201–250 | 251–300 | Deakin University | Geelong | Victoria |
| =11 | 201–250 | =199 | Queensland University of Technology | Brisbane | Queensland |
| =11 | 201–250 | 201–250 | University of Wollongong | Wollongong | New South Wales |
| =14 | 251–300 | 201–250 | Curtin University | Perth | Western Australia |
| =14 | 251–300 | 251–300 | La Trobe University | Melbourne | Victoria |
| =14 | 251–300 | 251–300 | RMIT University | Melbourne | Victoria |
| =14 | 251–300 | 201–250 | Swinburne University of Technology | Hawthorn | Victoria |
| =14 | 251–300 | 201–250 | University of Newcastle | Callaghan | New South Wales |
| =14 | 251–300 | 251–300 | University of Tasmania | Hobart | Tasmania |
| =20 | 301–350 | 301–350 | Flinders University | Adelaide | South Australia |
| =20 | 301–350 | 251–300 | Griffith University | Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan | Queensland |
| =20 | 301–350 | 301–350 | University of South Australia | Adelaide | South Australia |
| =20 | 301–350 | 301–350 | Western Sydney University | Sydney | New South Wales |
| =24 | 351–400 | 351–400 | Edith Cowan University | Joondalup | Western Australia |
| =24 | 351–400 | 351–400 | University of Southern Queensland | Toowoomba | Queensland |
| =26 | 401–500 | 401–500 | Australian Catholic University | Sydney | New South Wales |
| =26 | 401–500 | 401–500 | Bond University | Gold Coast | Queensland |
| =26 | 401–500 | 401–500 | Charles Darwin University | Casuarina | Northern Territory |
| =26 | 401–500 | 601–800 | Federation University Australia | Brisbane | Victoria |
| =26 | 401–500 | 351–400 | James Cook University | Townsville City | Queensland |
| =26 | 401–500 | 351–400 | Murdoch University | Murdoch | Western Australia |
| =26 | 401–500 | 351–400 | University of Canberra | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory |
| =26 | 401–500 | 401–500 | Victoria University | Melbourne | Victoria |
| =34 | 501–600 | 501–600 | Central Queensland University | Rockhampton | Queensland |
| =34 | 501–600 | 501–600 | Southern Cross University | Lismore | New South Wales |
| 36 | 601–800 | 501–600 | University of the Sunshine Coast | Sunshine Coast | Queensland |
| 37 | 801–1000 | 801–1000 | Charles Sturt University | Bathurst | New South Wales |
| 38 | 1201–1500 | NR | The University of Notre Dame Australia | Fremantle | New South Wales |
