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Top 20 Universities in Australia for 2025 - Postgraduate
Written by Ben Taylor
Home to almost 460,000 international students, Australia is one of the world’s most popular study abroad destinations. And with good reason – Australia has an excellent higher education system, with plenty of world-class universities to choose from.
This page takes a look at how Australian institutions fare in the three main global university league tables.
Australian universities in global rankings
The following table gives the top 20 universities in Australia in 2025. Information is based on the current rankings published by Times Higher Education, QS and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Each uses its own methodology. You can find out more in our guide to university rankings for postgraduate study.
| University | THE 2025 | QS 2026 | ARWU 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | 39 | 19 | 37 |
| Monash University | =58 | =36 | 82 |
| The University of Sydney | 61 | =25 | 74 |
| Australian National University | =73 | =32
| 101-150 |
| University of Queensland | 77 | =42 | 201-300 |
| UNSW Sydney | 83 | 20 | 77 |
| University of Adelaide | =128 | =82 | 151-200 |
| University of Western Australia | =149 | 77 | 101-150 |
| University of Technology Sydney | =154 | 96 | 201-300 |
| Macquarie University | 178 | =138 | 201-300 |
| Deakin University | 201-250 | =207 | 201-300 |
| Queensland University of Technology | 201-250 | 266 | 201-300 |
| University of Wollongong | 201-250 | =184 | 301-400 |
| Curtin University | 251-300 | 183 | 201-300 |
| La Trobe University | 251-300 | =233 | 301-400 |
| RMIT University | 251-300 | 125 | 301-400 |
| Swinburne University of Technology | 251-300 | =294 | 301-400 |
| University of Newcastle | 251-300 | =227 | 401-500 |
| University of Tasmania | 251-300 | =314 | 301-400 |
| Flinders University | 301-350 | 387 | 401-500 |
| Information in this table is based on the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities. Visit their websites for more information. | |||
So, how good are Australian universities for Masters study?
Australia performs impressively in the three main world university rankings, with seven institutions featuring in the top seven of each league table.
Outside the traditional academic powerhouses of America and the UK, Australia more than earns its place as one of the most popular destinations for international postgraduates, combining research and teaching excellence.
You could also take a look at global university rankings by subject if you’re trying to judge the suitability of a particular university for your programme. Masters qualifications are often highly specialised, so the quality of an individual department might be more important than the overall performance of a university.
Search for a Masters in Australia
Ready to start looking for your ideal study abroad opportunity? Browse and compare Masters degrees in Australia on FindAMasters.com.
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Ben Taylor
Ben worked in the FindAMasters content team from 2017 to 2022, starting as an Assistant Content Writer and leaving as Student Content Manager. He focused on producing well-researched advice across a range of topics related to postgraduate study. Ben has a Bachelors degree in English Literature from the University of Sheffield and a Masters from the University of Amsterdam. Having also spent a semester at the University of Helsinki through the Erasmus programme, he’s no stranger to study abroad (or cold weather!).
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