There are 35 Australian universities that are among the world’s best universities, according to the 2016-2017 edition of the QS World University Rankings® – two more than in last year’s edition. Six of these are in the top 100, while a further nine are in the top 300.
Here are the top four universities in Australia:
1. Australian National University
Australian National University (ANU) is ranked 22nd in the world and is located in Canberra, the country’s capital. Established in 1946, ANU was originally created as a postgraduate research university by the Parliament of Australia.
The only university to be created by the Parliament of Australia, ANU is home to more than 22,500 students, wherein almost 5,000 live on the campus, making for a tight-knit community. It also counts six Nobel Laureates among its alumni and faculty 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 currently ANU’s vice-chancellor.
2. University of Melbourne
Still ranked 42nd in the world, the University of Melbourne is the second oldest university in Australia (established in 1853).
It’s 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 currently enrolled at the university, and if you do get a place there, you’ll be joining students from 130 different countries. Meanwhile, its alumni community includes four Australian prime ministers and it’s also been associated with nine Nobel Laureates. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner Peter Doherty and fellows of the Royal Society David Solomon and David Boger either teach or research at Melbourne.
3. University of Sydney
Ranked 46th in the world (along with New York University in the US), the University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia, founded in 1850. It’s particularly strong in the fields of accounting, education, finance, law and medicine.
Currently, 52,000 students are attending the university, representing some 134 countries. About 280 overseas exchange programmes are in place for more than 30 countries. No fewer than five Australian prime ministers came from the university, including Edmund Barton, who won Australia’s first ever federal election in 1901.
4. University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is ranked joint 49th in the world and is a founding member of the prestigious Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research universities. Established in 1949 with a unique focus on the professional, scientific and technological disciplines, UNSW is a leading Australian university committed to pioneering research and preparing the next generation of talented global citizens for career success. UNSW has produced more millionaires than any other Australian university.
UNSW has over 50,000 students come from 128 countries, making it one of Australia’s most cosmopolitan universities. The main UNSW campus is located on a 38-hectare site in Kensington, seven kilometres from the Sydney CBD. Other major campuses are Art & Design in Paddington and UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy.