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The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Australia's top universities revealed in global rankings list
University of Melbourne retained its position as the top-rated Australian institution in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. But it slid six places, from 13th to 19th in the world. University of NSW ranked 20th, down from 19th in the 2025 edition, while Sydney University dropped seven spots to 25. Australian National University ranked 32nd in the world, dropping two places compared to last year. Regional universities didn't fare much better, also tumbling down the prestigious world rankings. The University of Wollongong was the top regional uni at 184th, down 17 places. The University of Newcastle came in next at 227th, down 48 places while La Trobe University fell to 233rd from 217th, The University of Tasmania was down 21 places to 314th. The most jaw-dropping fall went to the University of Canberra, which plummeted 91 places to 494. Charles Sturt University slipped down two ranking bands from 851-900 to 951-1000, but the Australian Catholic University improved one ranking band from 901-950 to 851-900. Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said the results remained "impressive". "This comes against a backdrop of global uncertainty and mixed messaging from our largest research partner, the US, which threatens our very capacity to deliver on our mission of education and research," she said. "And yet despite these headwinds, Australia continues to punch above its weight, ranking fifth overall as the best higher education system in the world. "The rankings take into account academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, the faculty members per student ratio, international student and staff ratios and sustainability." University of Melbourne retained its position as the top-rated Australian institution in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. But it slid six places, from 13th to 19th in the world. University of NSW ranked 20th, down from 19th in the 2025 edition, while Sydney University dropped seven spots to 25. Australian National University ranked 32nd in the world, dropping two places compared to last year. Regional universities didn't fare much better, also tumbling down the prestigious world rankings. The University of Wollongong was the top regional uni at 184th, down 17 places. The University of Newcastle came in next at 227th, down 48 places while La Trobe University fell to 233rd from 217th, The University of Tasmania was down 21 places to 314th. The most jaw-dropping fall went to the University of Canberra, which plummeted 91 places to 494. Charles Sturt University slipped down two ranking bands from 851-900 to 951-1000, but the Australian Catholic University improved one ranking band from 901-950 to 851-900. Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said the results remained "impressive". "This comes against a backdrop of global uncertainty and mixed messaging from our largest research partner, the US, which threatens our very capacity to deliver on our mission of education and research," she said. "And yet despite these headwinds, Australia continues to punch above its weight, ranking fifth overall as the best higher education system in the world. "The rankings take into account academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, the faculty members per student ratio, international student and staff ratios and sustainability." University of Melbourne retained its position as the top-rated Australian institution in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. But it slid six places, from 13th to 19th in the world. University of NSW ranked 20th, down from 19th in the 2025 edition, while Sydney University dropped seven spots to 25. Australian National University ranked 32nd in the world, dropping two places compared to last year. Regional universities didn't fare much better, also tumbling down the prestigious world rankings. The University of Wollongong was the top regional uni at 184th, down 17 places. The University of Newcastle came in next at 227th, down 48 places while La Trobe University fell to 233rd from 217th, The University of Tasmania was down 21 places to 314th. The most jaw-dropping fall went to the University of Canberra, which plummeted 91 places to 494. Charles Sturt University slipped down two ranking bands from 851-900 to 951-1000, but the Australian Catholic University improved one ranking band from 901-950 to 851-900. Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said the results remained "impressive". "This comes against a backdrop of global uncertainty and mixed messaging from our largest research partner, the US, which threatens our very capacity to deliver on our mission of education and research," she said. "And yet despite these headwinds, Australia continues to punch above its weight, ranking fifth overall as the best higher education system in the world. "The rankings take into account academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, the faculty members per student ratio, international student and staff ratios and sustainability." University of Melbourne retained its position as the top-rated Australian institution in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. But it slid six places, from 13th to 19th in the world. University of NSW ranked 20th, down from 19th in the 2025 edition, while Sydney University dropped seven spots to 25. Australian National University ranked 32nd in the world, dropping two places compared to last year. Regional universities didn't fare much better, also tumbling down the prestigious world rankings. The University of Wollongong was the top regional uni at 184th, down 17 places. The University of Newcastle came in next at 227th, down 48 places while La Trobe University fell to 233rd from 217th, The University of Tasmania was down 21 places to 314th. The most jaw-dropping fall went to the University of Canberra, which plummeted 91 places to 494. Charles Sturt University slipped down two ranking bands from 851-900 to 951-1000, but the Australian Catholic University improved one ranking band from 901-950 to 851-900. Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said the results remained "impressive". "This comes against a backdrop of global uncertainty and mixed messaging from our largest research partner, the US, which threatens our very capacity to deliver on our mission of education and research," she said. "And yet despite these headwinds, Australia continues to punch above its weight, ranking fifth overall as the best higher education system in the world. "The rankings take into account academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, the faculty members per student ratio, international student and staff ratios and sustainability."
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Muslim groups reject push for new Islamophobia definition at Australian universities
A coalition of Muslim and Palestinian organisations have rejected a push by universities to adopt a new definition of Islamophobia, arguing it would 'shield' the institutions from criticism of their contentious new antisemitism definition, and that a unified standard that rejects all racism is what is needed. Last month, Australia's universities confirmed they would unilaterally enforce a new definition of antisemitism on campuses after an inquiry recommended higher education providers 'closely align' with the contentious International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition. The eight organisations, which include the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (Aman), the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), Muslim Women Australia and the Muslim Legal Network, are urging universities to replace the antisemitism definition with a unified anti-racism standard that would apply to all communities – regardless of race and religion. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email In a joint statement, they said adopting an antisemitism definition or any separate definitions for racism – including one for Islamophobia – would 'perpetuate double standards' by leveraging groups against each other. 'The antisemitism definition, soon to be part of university education and complaint schemes, risks suppressing legitimate criticism of Israel,' they said. 'Developing such narrow definitions will result in gaps and a failure to protect all persons from racism, bigotry and discrimination.' The definition adopted by universities states that criticism of the policies and practices of the Israeli government or state is 'not in and of itself antisemitic' but 'can be' when 'grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel's actions'. Chief executive of the Group of Eight (G08), Vicki Thomson, said the Go8 developed the new definition at the request of the special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, following a rise in antisemitism on campuses after 7 October 2023. 'This does not take away from the fact that our universities have been undertaking important work to address Islamophobia, as well as other forms of racism on our campuses,' she said. 'It is not a matter of either/or.' Universities have been consulting with Muslim students and staff as to whether to develop a separate definition for Islamophobia as part of their antiracism commitments, as has been done at Monash University. The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney are seeking to do the same. The Muslim and pro-Palestinian groups strongly opposed implementing a separate Islamophobia definition, arguing it would 'shield' universities from criticism of the antisemitism definition, while also excluding Palestinian voices. Legal advisor to Aman, Rita Jabri Markwell, said it would 'make matters worse'. 'The antisemitism definition encroaches on Palestinian rights and freedom of expression, it's unlikely any Islamophobia definition could remedy that problem,' she said. 'Allowing universities to adopt different standards for different groups is not the answer. 'If there is an institutional bias that already exists, universities will be able to use whichever definition they prefer. We need one unified standard that rejects dehumanisation and promotes equality for all, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In its place, the organisations have backed the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network's definition of dehumanisation, which has been used since the Christchurch massacre in 2019 to push back against hate speech and harmful stereotypes among any group based on race, religion or ethnicity. It defines dehumanisation as 'material produced or published, which an ordinary person would conclude, portrays the class of persons identified on the basis of a protected characteristic as not deserving to be treated equally to other humans because they lack qualities intrinsic to humans'. President of Apan, Nasser Mashni, said universities weren't responding to the 'pervasiveness' of anti-Palestinian racism. He said any separate definition of Islamophobia, if it were to be adopted alongside the antisemitism definition, would be 'piecemeal' and wouldn't address the root of the issue. 'It's Palestinian racism,' he said. 'You can experience it as a Muslim, also as a teacher who's scared to teach a class because of the antisemitism definition, or a student who decides to self-censor,' he said. 'We don't want any separate definitions, there should not be this hierarchy of hate.' The CEO for Universities Australia, Luke Sheehy, said racism had 'no place' in Australia's universities. 'Sadly, university campuses are not immune to racism in all forms, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and the experience of First Nations people,' he said. 'Universities Australia wrote to TEQSA [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency] to seek their support to assist our 39 member universities to combat racism and to ensure we have a harmonised approach to dealing with these issues, consistent with our collective efforts to address all forms of discrimination.' Some Jewish groups that had pushed for the IHRA definition to be adopted are lukewarm on how effective the new antisemitism definition will be. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which acts as the umbrella organisation for more than 200 Jewish groups across the nation, said the body hoped to see 'better identification of antisemitic conduct and more effective complaints-handling at universities' and would wait to see the new definition in practice.
The Guardian
14-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Trump's hateful agenda': Australia's university sector accuses US administration of ‘blatant interference'
The Trump administration has been accused of 'blatant foreign interference' in Australia's universities after researchers who receive US funding were asked to confirm they aligned with American interests, including only recognising two genders. The questionnaire, sent to university researchers over the past fortnight, seeks a response within 48 hours to more than 30 questions to support 'program determinations', according to a copy of the questionnaire seen by Guardian Australia. The questions relate to the priorities of the Trump government, including whether the organisation receives funding from China, whether there are DEI elements, and whether the project is taking 'appropriate measures' to defend against gender ideology in line with Trump's executive order on gender. The questionnaires were distributed by various federal agencies on behalf of an executive memo from the office of the president, requiring them to identify all funding was consistent with 'policies and requirements'. Separately, six sandstone universities represented by the Group of Eight have already had research grants suspended or terminated in line with changes introduced by the Trump administration, according to the Go8. Researchers were notified shortly after the US election that the projects, which spanned a range of topics from agriculture to foreign aid and diversity and equity, had been cancelled under higher education cuts, pending a review. The chief executive of the Go8, Vicki Thomson, said the body was 'extremely concerned' about the implications of the Trump administration's policy, particularly for health and medical research and defence collaboration. 'Go8 universities are deeply engaged in collaborative activities with the US, especially through our defence initiatives and the Aukus alliance,' she said. 'For every one of our members, the US is the largest research partner by far.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Go8 has sought Australian government intervention and last week wrote to the chair of the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Brian Babin, for guidance and an extension of time to respond to the requirements. The questionnaire seeks to confirm university projects don't work with 'any party that espouses anti-American beliefs', or whether they have received 'ANY funding from the PRC', including Confucius Institutes and Chinese state or non-state actors. It also asks whether research is a 'no DEI project' or a 'climate or 'environmental justice' project', as well as ensuring it takes 'appropriate measures to protect women and to defend against gender ideology' and combats 'Christian prosecution'. Universities and colleges across the US have been grappling with cuts to research under the Trump administration and the tying of its DEI agenda to funding, prompting thousands of scientists to rally across the US and EU last week. In February, the education department sent a letter to universities instructing that any consideration of race in 'all … aspects of student, academic, and campus life' was illegal. The administration has also proposed limiting curricula on gender. Donald Trump's federal congressional budget is also proposing billions of dollars in federal funding cuts across higher education, including capping all 'indirect funding' from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at 15%. The US is the largest international research partner for Australia, with the two nations sharing nearly 1,000 formal collaborations. It is also Australia's top international research collaborator and biggest global collaborator in cancer research, with the National Cancer Institute awarding 211 grants to projects with Australian collaborators from 2013-2023. The Go8 received about US$161.6m in grants from the NIH between 2020 and 2024. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has urged the federal government to intervene and reach out to the Trump administration on behalf of universities. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Its national president, Dr Alison Barnes, said the Australian government must guarantee researchers would be protected from 'blatant foreign interference'. 'Donald Trump's hateful agenda is racist, transphobic and misogynistic. The idea of research funding being tied to any of those values is sickening,' she said. 'Allowing Trump to dictate the terms of research will have devastating impacts on research including life-saving vaccines, critical social sciences and climate solutions that could save the planet – just to name a few.' This week, the US administration cancelled 33 research grants investigating vaccine hesitancy and was conducting a review of mRNA vaccine projects. The NTEU Queer Unionists in Tertiary Education national convener, Amy Sargeant, said Trump was 'disgracefully attacking' LGBTQ+ people. 'Trying to force research to comply with transphobia is disgusting, and the Australian government must unwaveringly stand up against this fascist foreign intervention,' she said. The CEO of Universities Australia, Luke Sheehy, said Australia's international partnerships were 'critical' for tackling global challenges. 'We will … work closely with the government to ensure our universities can keep doing world-class research,' he said. The shadow minister for education, Sarah Henderson, said higher education played an important role in combating foreign interference in the face of 'increasing threats from others who want to do us harm'. 'The Albanese government should provide clear guidance to universities on how to navigate these matters in line with Australia's values and national interests,' she said. The education minister, Jason Clare, was approached for comment.
