Top 20 Universities in Australia for 2025 - Postgraduate
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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.


Top 20 Australian Universities in 2025
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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Last updated: 30 June 2025