Top Universities in Australia Australia is home to many prestigious universities which are highly ranked and globally renowned. Australian Universities promote innovation, creativity, and independent thinking among their students. Most of the international students who study in Australia are able to find attractive Australian job opportunities worldwide post completion of their studies. According to QS world ranking 2019, the top universities in Australia include Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Queensland.
Things you need to know before applying for studies in Australia:
- Course and University options meeting your educational aspirations and backgroundÂ
- Understanding about course curriculum and grading system
- Overall tuition fees & living expenses
- More about the city where the university is situated and the cost of living in the city
- Part-time work options while studyingÂ
- Visa application process
- Health insurance plans
In this article, you will get the latest updates about the top universities in Australia for international students, their courses and living costs.
Top Universities in Australia Latest Top Australian University Ranking Updates
Based on QS World Rankings 2019, we have listed the top universities in Australia in the table below. It also highlights the Australian Rank and Global Ranking of the universities along with their location.
| Australian Rank | Global Rank | University | Location |
| 1 | 29 | Australian National University (ANU) | Canberra |
| 2 | 38 | University of Melbourne | Melbourne, Victoria |
| 3 | 42 | University of Sydney | Sydney, New South Wales |
| 4 | 43 | University of New South Wales (UNSW) | Kensington, New South Wales |
| 5 | 47 | University of Queensland (UQ) | Brisbane, Queensland |
| 6 | 58 | Monash University | Melbourne, Victoria |
| 7 | 86 | University of Western Australia (UWA) | Perth, Western Australia |
| 8 | 106 | University of Adelaide | Adelaide, South Australia |
| 9 | 140 | University of Technology Sydney (UTS) | Ultimo, New South Wales |
| 10 | 207 | University of Newcastle, Australia (UON) | Callaghan, New South Wales |
Top Universities in Australia Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) stands at # 1 location in Australia and is ranked 29th in the world. Though ANU has lost its ranking from 24 in 2018, it is still ranked highest amongst Australian Universities. ANU scores high on criteria such as International Faculty and International Students and has 37.5 as a faculty-student ratio.Â
ANUÂ is located in Canberra, which is also the capital of Australia.Â
University Key Facts
- Ranked 1st in Australia and 29th in the world
- 15 individual subjects ranked in the world top 25 out of which 13 are number one in Australia
- 50% of students are undertaking postgraduate degree programs
- ANU counts six Nobel Laureates among the staff such as Prof. Brian P Schmidt and Prof. Peter Doherty
- 96% of broad-field research at ANU is rated above or well above world standard.
- The total student strength of ANU was 25,500 in 2018 and approximate 5,000 students lived on campus in 2018 which was more than 20 per cent of the total student population
- One of the highest average teacher-student ratios among Australias leading universities
- Canberra offers the highest quality of life in the world
Top Courses at ANU
ANU is ranked 7th in the world for Geography, 13th for Automation & Controls 23rd for Earth Sciences 30th for Telecommunication Engineering. The university is divided into 7 colleges with 1 dedicated research unit called NARU campus. The university is solving challenging problems in fields such as Environment and Sustainability, Health and Medicine, and Science and Innovative Technology.
Australian National University 2019 Admission APPLY NOW!
Living in Canberra
Canberra is a great place for international students to pursue higher studies as it offers a plethora of housing options to suit your needs and budget that includesÂ
- Homestay Many families in Canberra offer Homestay which definitely is a good option if you wish to learn authentic Australian culture.Â
- Shared apartments Many shared accommodation options are available which are easy on your pocketÂ
- Renting Homes for rent are leased through real estate agencies and are advertised through agencies and various websites, etc. It may cost up to USD 566 per week for a house and USD 424 for apartments. Â
- Student accommodation Australian National University, the University of Canberra and the Canberra Institute of Technology all offer a broad range of on-campus student accommodation options to suit your preference and budget.
Canberras total population is 400,000. Canberra has an excellent public bus system which can be used for commuting to various parts of the city. 
Top Universities in Australia University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is ranked 2nd in Australia and 38th in the world as per QS Rankings 2019. Melbourne University, in fact, has improved its ranking from 39 in 2018. Melbourne University scores 99.2 on academic reputation and has a student-faculty ratio of 24.1. It boasts of strong research performance, excellence in learning and teaching. University also ranks 7th worldwide in terms of graduate employability. Out of the total courses offered, 14 subjects are placed in the top 20 courses internationally.Â
University Key Facts
- More than 50,000 students are studying in university out of which 42% are international.
- University earns $474 mn in research income
- 97-98% of undergraduates and postgraduates get good jobs within 3-5 years of study.
Courses at the University of Melbourne
Students can choose from various subjects for their Bachelors degree.Â
| QS World University Rankings (by subject) 2019 | ||
| Australia Ranking | Global Ranking | |
| Accounting and Finance | 1 | 16 |
| Anatomy | 1 | 9 |
| Biology | 1 | 29 |
| Business | 1 | 20 |
| Chemistry | 1 | 37 |
| Communication | 1 | 35 |
| Computer Science | 1 | 32 |
| Dentistry | 1 | 30 |
| Economics | 1 | 24 |
| Education | 1 | 14 |
| Electrical Engineering | 1 | 35 |
| Law | 1 | 6 |
| Linguistics | 1 | 22 |
| Medicine | 1 | 17 |
| Psychology | 1 | 18 |
| Statistics | 1 | 24 |
The students can pursue the following courses at the University of Melbourne
- Bachelor of Agriculture
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Oral Health
- Bachelor of Science
There are 400 professional coursework and higher research degrees, certificates and diplomas offered by 10 faculties:
- Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Business and Economics
- Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- Melbourne School of Engineering
- Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
- Melbourne Law School
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
Living in Melbourne
Melbourne is ranked 2nd in Most liveable city as per Economist Intelligence Units 2018 ranking after being # 1 in 7 years before it. Melbourne is home to a population from over 140 different cultures and is food-obsessed, with many excellent restaurants. Plenty of housing options are available for international students in Melbourne including residential colleges, purpose-built apartments and private housing, all on or close to the campus.
University of Melbourne Admission 2019 APPLY NOW!
Top Universities in Australia University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is ranked 42nd in the world and 3rd in Australia in QS ranking 2019. The University of Sydney has also received a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria. The University of Sydney ranks 4th in the world and 1st in Australia in Graduate Employability ranking by QS. Currently, there are more than 73,000 students enrolled in the university.
University Key Facts
- There are 3,50,000 alumni across 170 countries
- There are 250+ exchange opportunities for students
- There are 8,100 fixed-term staff at the university
- By August 2019, around 73,000 students were enrolled in the university
Courses at the University of Sydney
There are various UG degree courses which international students can pursue such as Architecture and Environments, Design Computing, Media and Communication, Economics, Education, Dental Medicine, Advanced Computing, Engineering, Applied Science and Project Management. Students can also pursue Masters courses in the fields like Urban Design, Architectural Design, Electronic Arts, Nursing, Medicine, Big Data in Business, Finance, Human Resource Management, International Business, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Management, Marketing and MBA.
Living in Sydney
Mercers 2016 report shows Sydney as one of the best cities in Australia. It has a population of 5 million and over 60% of Australias top 100 companies are located here. Housing accommodation is quite expensive in Sydney. Roughly 1 bedroom flat (apartment) in the City Centre costs more than AUD 2,000 per month and 1 bedroom flat outside the City Centre can cost around AUD 1,386 per month.
According to the QS world rankings, it is among the top 5 study destinations for international students who want to pursue an MBA abroad. Read MBA in Australia article here.
Top Universities in Australia University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales (UNSW) is one of the top 100 universities in the world. It has more than 59,000 students and a strong research community of 7,000 scholars. It ranks 4th in Australia and 43rd in the world on QS World Ranking which is an improvement over 2018. University is ranked 27 on Graduate Employability Rankings. According to the University data, it has invested $250 million in research infrastructure since 2015 and is planning to invest more than $900 million over 10 years to attract researchers within the top 5% of their fields internationally. The main UNSW campus is seven kilometres from the centre of Sydney on a 38-hectare site at Kensington.
University Key Facts
- There are 47 schools, 125 centres and institutes and 18 colleges and student accommodations.
- There are 2,838 academic staff at the university.
- There are 290 Scientia fellows and 700 Scientia PhD Scholars.
- It is ranked 14th as The most international universities.
Top courses at the university are:
- Art & Design
- Arts & Social Sciences
- Built Environment
- Business School
- UNSW Canberra
- Engineering
- Law
- Medicine
- Science
Top Universities in Australia University of Queensland
University of Queensland (UQ) is ranked #5 in Australia and #47 in the world based on QS rankings. The University of Queensland has a strong focus on teaching excellence, having won more Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) than any other universities in the country. The University of Queensland boasts of 2 Nobel laureates, Peter C Doherty and John Harsanyi and close to 100 Rhodes Scholars amongst its alumni.
University Key Facts
- University has 53,696 students out of which 18,074 are international students from 134 countries.
- The main campuses of the UQ are St Lucia, Gatton, Herston and is built over 1670 hectares.
- There are 6 departments in the university.
- Graduate job rate from the University of Queensland is 78.2% (average full-time rate for Bachelor degree) compared to Australias national average of 73.3%
- There are more than 6,000 staff at the university and the top programs (by maximum enrollments) are Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).
Check out details on study abroad Australia page.
Top Courses at the University of Queensland
Students can pursue Bachelors, Masters and research-level studies at UQ. Popular Masters courses are MSc Tourism, Hotel and Travel Management, MSc Data Science, MBA, MS in Computer Science, Engineering, IT, Agriculture Science, Biotechnology and Psychology and Bachelors in similar courses.
Most popular subject domains at UQ are:
- Agriculture, animals and food
- Business, Economics, Law and Tourism
- Engineering, Architecture and IT
- Environment and Planning
- Humanities
- Science and Mathematics
- Psychology
- Pharmacy
- Social Science and Humanities
- Nutrition Sciences
- Indigenous Sciences
Living in Brisbane
With a population of 2 million, people enjoy a relaxed lifestyle in Brisbane. Most of the residents in Brisbane were born overseas. During your first few weeks in the city, you will need around AUD 2,500 to set up, including accommodation costs, money to set up your new home, and food and transport. Thereafter, you will need to spend around AUD 500 for rent, food, transport, bills, study costs, etc. Brisbane is one of the cheapest major city in Australia and there are many accommodation options available near campus. Approximate cost of living as per university website are
| Single student: on-campus | Single student: off-campus share house | Single student: off-campus apartment | Family (two adults, one child): off-campus apartment |
| $450 to $700 per week | $130 to $250 per week | $180 to $520 per week | $450 to $600 per week |
 Type of course and its duration determine the length of stay of an international student in Australia. Read Student visa Australia article.
