Country ranking — 2026 edition
Best Universities in Australia
Australian higher education is concentrated in a small number of large research universities with heavily international cohorts, which lifts network scores across the table.
University of Melbourne is ranked first in the 2026 best universities in australia, with an overall score of 88.4 out of 100. University of Sydney is second and Australian National University third. 43 institutions are ranked in this edition.
Published
Outcomes 30%Salary 20%Faculty 15%Selectivity 15%Employers 10%Network 10%
RankInstitution & programmeOverall
- 1
University of Melbourne
Melbourne
Outcomes89Salary85Faculty91Selectivity86Employers90Network8988.4Score - 2
University of Sydney
Sydney
Outcomes87Salary84Faculty88Selectivity85Employers89Network8986.2Score - 3
Australian National University
Canberra
Outcomes85Salary83Faculty90Selectivity87Employers87Network8485.1Score - 4
University of New South Wales
Sydney
Outcomes86Salary85Faculty86Selectivity83Employers86Network8684.3Score - 5
Monash University
Melbourne
Outcomes83Salary81Faculty85Selectivity79Employers84Network8582.0Score - 6
University of Queensland
Brisbane
Outcomes82Salary79Faculty85Selectivity79Employers83Network8281.4Score - 7
University of Western Australia
Perth
Outcomes78Salary77Faculty80Selectivity75Employers78Network7677.2Score - 8
University of Adelaide
Adelaide
Outcomes77Salary75Faculty78Selectivity74Employers76Network7575.6Score - 9
University of Technology Sydney
Sydney
Outcomes74Salary71Faculty73Selectivity77Employers70Network7574.8Score - 10
Macquarie University
Sydney
Outcomes76Salary78Faculty73Selectivity72Employers74Network7174.4Score - 11
RMIT University
Melbourne
Outcomes76Salary78Faculty72Selectivity70Employers70Network7473.9Score - 12
Curtin University
Perth
Outcomes76Salary70Faculty75Selectivity69Employers75Network7573.4Score - 13
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane
Outcomes74Salary75Faculty75Selectivity74Employers75Network7072.7Score - 14
Deakin University
Geelong
Outcomes72Salary72Faculty69Selectivity72Employers72Network7272.3Score - 15
University of Wollongong
Wollongong
Outcomes72Salary69Faculty69Selectivity74Employers73Network7271.9Score - 16
University of Newcastle
Newcastle
Outcomes72Salary76Faculty67Selectivity71Employers69Network7571.6Score - 17
Griffith University
Gold Coast
Outcomes75Salary71Faculty68Selectivity68Employers73Network7270.9Score - 18
La Trobe University
Melbourne
Outcomes74Salary71Faculty72Selectivity67Employers69Network7170.2Score - 19
Flinders University
Adelaide
Outcomes72Salary73Faculty67Selectivity71Employers70Network7169.7Score - 20
University of Tasmania
Hobart
Outcomes70Salary68Faculty68Selectivity65Employers72Network6769.0Score - 21
James Cook University
Townsville
Outcomes69Salary68Faculty66Selectivity65Employers72Network6968.4Score - 22
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne
Outcomes70Salary66Faculty66Selectivity69Employers67Network6867.9Score - 23
Western Sydney University
Sydney
Outcomes66Salary70Faculty69Selectivity71Employers66Network6667.6Score - 24
University of South Australia
Adelaide
Outcomes65Salary67Faculty71Selectivity71Employers66Network6466.9Score - 25
Murdoch University
Perth
Outcomes70Salary65Faculty68Selectivity62Employers68Network6766.2Score - 26
Charles Darwin University
Darwin
Outcomes68Salary65Faculty69Selectivity64Employers64Network6965.8Score - 27
University of Canberra
Canberra
Outcomes67Salary66Faculty66Selectivity66Employers69Network7065.4Score - 28
Edith Cowan University
Perth
Outcomes62Salary61Faculty66Selectivity66Employers68Network6865.1Score - 29
Bond University
Gold Coast
Outcomes63Salary67Faculty64Selectivity64Employers63Network6164.8Score - 30
Victoria University
Melbourne
Outcomes60Salary68Faculty61Selectivity67Employers64Network6564.5Score - 31
Central Queensland University
Rockhampton
Outcomes67Salary60Faculty62Selectivity67Employers64Network6563.9Score - 32
Southern Cross University
Lismore
Outcomes64Salary65Faculty61Selectivity67Employers63Network6163.4Score - 33
University of New England
Armidale
Outcomes67Salary64Faculty67Selectivity65Employers61Network6562.9Score - 34
Charles Sturt University
Bathurst
Outcomes59Salary62Faculty60Selectivity63Employers63Network6662.2Score - 35
Federation University Australia
Ballarat
Outcomes58Salary65Faculty64Selectivity59Employers57Network6261.6Score - 36
University of the Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast
Outcomes64Salary59Faculty65Selectivity61Employers59Network6461.1Score - 37
Australian Catholic University
Sydney
Outcomes61Salary62Faculty65Selectivity65Employers63Network6360.7Score - 38
Torrens University Australia
Adelaide
Outcomes64Salary61Faculty64Selectivity63Employers62Network6160.4Score - 39
University of Notre Dame Australia
Fremantle
Outcomes63Salary60Faculty63Selectivity62Employers59Network5859.8Score - 40
University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba
Outcomes61Salary62Faculty63Selectivity60Employers55Network6459.3Score - 41
Divinity University of Australia
Melbourne
Outcomes54Salary63Faculty60Selectivity57Employers55Network5758.9Score - 42
Avondale University
Cooranbong
Outcomes58Salary62Faculty58Selectivity60Employers54Network5758.4Score - 43
Carnegie Mellon University Australia
Adelaide
Outcomes60Salary60Faculty61Selectivity60Employers56Network5857.9Score
Australia 2026: frequently asked questions
- Which institution is number one in the 2026 australia ranking?
- University of Melbourne, based in Melbourne, ranks first with an overall score of 88.4 out of 100.
- How is this ranking calculated?
- Every entry is scored on the same six weighted indicators — Graduate outcomes (30%), Salary uplift (20%), Faculty & research strength (15%), Selectivity (15%), Employer reputation (10%), Cohort & network reach (10%) — each normalised across the table and combined into an overall score out of 100. Nothing is reweighted table by table.
- How many institutions are ranked, and how often is the table updated?
- 43 institutions appear in the 2026 edition. A new edition is published every year on 30 September, with all six indicators re-collected for that edition.
- Can an institution pay to appear or move up?
- No. No institution pays to be assessed, to appear in a table, or to change its position, and no score is shown to an institution before publication.
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- Best Universities in Germany 2026
- Best Universities in France 2026
- World University Rankings 2026
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Scored on the composite set out in our methodology. See also all rankings.