These 15 Australian universities rank among the top two per cent worldwide
The Centre for World University Rankings recently released its 2025 Global 2,000 list, assessing almost 21,500 institutions on four key pillars: quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty and research performance. This year, 39 Australian universities were included in the top 2,000 – and impressively, 28 of them ranked within the top five per cent of all higher education institutions globally.
According to the quantitative academic ranking, Australia's number one for 2025 was the University of New South Wales (UNSW), which climbed to 52nd globally – putting it in the top 0.3 per cent worldwide. UNSW earned an overall score of 84.6, largely thanks to its solar cell technology research, which helped boost it's ranking from 99 in 2024.
The University of Melbourne landed second in Australia, claiming the 64th spot globally with an overall score of 83.8 and an exceptional research ranking of 30. Also placing within the top 0.5 per cent of tertiary institutions around the world were the Australian National University (90th), University of Sydne y (94th) and University of Queensland (103rd). Meanwhile, Monash University (117th), University of Western Australia (151st) and University of Adelaide (213th) all landed in the top one per cent.
These are the 10 best universities in the world according to the Centre for World University Rankings
Harvard University, USA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Stanford University, USA
University of Cambridge, UK
University of Oxford, UK
Princeton University, USA
University of Pennsylvania, USA
Columbia University, USA
Yale University, USA
University of Chicago, USA
These are the 15 best universities in Australia
University of New South Wales, NSW – 52
University of Melbourne, VIC – 64
Australian National University, ACT – 90
University of Sydney, NSW – 94
University of Queensland, QLD – 103
Monash University, VIC – 117
University of Western Australia, WA – 151
University of Adelaide, SA – 213
University of Technology Sydney, NSW – 314
Curtin University, WA – 329
Macquarie University, NSW – 341
Queensland University of Technology, QLD – 355
Deakin University, VIC – 365th
Griffith University, QLD – 379th
University of Wollongong, NSW – 385
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🧑🏻🎓 Here are eight of the best universities in Australia for research, leadership and pretty campuses
📚 Check out the QS World Universities Rankings for 2026
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