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There are 44 universities in Australia out of which 39 are public universities and 5 private universities.[1] The Commonwealth Higher Education Support Act 2003 sets out three groups of Australian higher education providers: universities, other self-accrediting higher education institutions and state and territory accredited higher education institutions.
For admissions to universities, those students who have completed Australian state curricula are granted a state-specific Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. All Australian universities use the ATAR based "selection rank" as one of their methods of admission; universities also use past study, work experience and other considerations in granting admission. The ATAR provides an indication of the overall position of the student in relation to the student body for that year across the state. The ATAR is used by state-specific centralised admission centres for admission into university. The following bodies allocate ATAR based selection ranks and admission for the tertiary institutions in their respective states:[2]
For International Baccalaureate (IB) Australian students (Australian citizens) as well as the international students in Australia, the "Australasian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres" (ACTAC) calculates an Australia-wide ATAR-like national rank called "Combined rank which combines results from across all states, thus enabling IB students to "apply in any Australian state or territory with confidence about how their results compare to their peers who have completed state curricula and received an ATAR", also "when completing your final year of schooling, ensure that you provide permission via your school for your IB results to be released to Australian tertiary admissions centres. As long as you identify yourself as an IB student and provide your IB candidate number when applying for courses, your IB scores and subject results will be received electronically and automatically converted for the purposes of selection and meeting prerequisites."[8]
In addition to the following universities, the Australian campus of Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III College[9] operated in the city of Adelaide in South Australia between 2006 and 2022.[10] University College London also operated an Australian campus[11] in Adelaide between 2009 and 2017.[12][13] The newest Australian institution to receive university status is the Australian University of Theology in 2025.[1]
| University | Type | Campus[14] | State/ Territory [14] |
Estab. | University status |
Times rank[15] | ARWU rank[16] | QS rank[17] | US News rank[18] |
CWTS rank [19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide University | Public | Adelaide, Roseworthy, Mount Gambier, Whyalla | Template:Country data AU-SA SA | 2024 | 2024 | N/A | N/A | 82= | N/A | N/A |
| Australian Catholic University | Public | Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney, Blacktown, Ballarat, Strathfield, Italy | 1991 | 1991 | 401–500 | 601–700 | 851 - 900 | 416 | 1374 | |
| Australian National University | Public | Canberra | Template:Country data ACT ACT | 1946 | 1946 | 67 | 101-150 | 32 | 62 | 259 |
| Australian University of Theology | Private collegiate (Australian) | Sydney | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1891 | 2025 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Avondale University | Non-profit private (Australian) | Lake Macquarie, Wahroonga | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1897 | 2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Bond University | Non-profit private (Australian) | Gold Coast | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1987 | 1987 | 401–500 | 901–1000 | 591= | 1455 | N/A |
| Central Queensland University | Public | Rockhampton, Mackay, Brisbane, Sydney, Townsville, Cairns, Melbourne, Adelaide, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Indonesia | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1967 | 1992 | 501–600 | N/A | 499= | 1095 | 1329 |
| Charles Darwin University | Public | Darwin | Template:Country data AU-NT NT | 1989 | 2003 | 401–500 | 601–700 | 584= | 959 | N/A |
| Charles Sturt University | Public | Albury, Bathurst, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Port Macquarie, Brisbane, Sydney,[note 1] Melbourne | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1948 | 1989 | 801–1000 | N/A | 951–1000 | 764 | 1229 |
| Curtin University | Public | Perth, Kalgoorlie, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Mauritius | Template:Country data AU-WA WA | 1966 | 1986 | 201–250 | 201–300 | 184= | 160 | 310 |
| Deakin University | Public | Melbourne, Geelong, Warrnambool | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1887 | 1974 | 251–300 | 201–300 | 207= | 217 | 297 |
| Edith Cowan University | Public | Perth, Bunbury | Template:Country data AU-WA WA | 1902 | 1991 | 351–400 | 601–700 | 487= | 495 | 1003 |
| Federation University Australia | Public | Ballarat, Melbourne, Churchill, Horsham | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1870 | 1994 | 601–800 | N/A | N/A | 1288 | N/A |
| Flinders University | Public | Adelaide | Template:Country data AU-SA SA | 1966 | 1966 | 301–350 | 401–500 | 387 | 426 | 564 |
| Griffith University | Public | Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1971 | 1971 | 251–300 | 201–300 | 268 | 203 | 316 |
| James Cook University | Public | Cairns, Singapore, Townsville | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1970 | 1970 | 351–400 | 301–400 | 440= | 324 | 698 |
| La Trobe University | Public | Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wodonga, Sydney | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1964 | 1964 | 251–300 | 301–400 | 233= | 304 | 524 |
| Macquarie University | Public | Sydney | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1964 | 1964 | 180 | 201–300 | 138= | 192 | 360 |
| Monash University | Public | Melbourne, Malaysia, Indonesia | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1958 | 1958 | 54 | 82 | 36 | 37= | 49 |
| Murdoch University | Public | Perth | Template:Country data AU-WA WA | 1973 | 1973 | 351–400 | 501–600 | 423= | 673 | 927 |
| Queensland University of Technology | Public | Brisbane | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1965 | 1989 | 199= | 201–300 | 226 | 171 | 335 |
| RMIT University | Public | Melbourne, Vietnam | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1887 | 1992 | 251–300 | 301–400 | 125 | 209 | 378 |
| Southern Cross University | Public | Coffs Harbour, Lismore, Tweed Heads, Gold Coast, Sydney,[note 1] Melbourne[note 1] | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1970 | 1994 | 501–600 | 901–1000 | 638= | 997 | N/A |
| Swinburne University of Technology | Public | Melbourne, Malaysia | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1908 | 1992 | 201–250 | 201–300 | 294= | 199 | 682 |
| Torrens University Australia | For-profit private (International) | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, New Zealand, China | 2014 | 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| The University of Adelaide (now Adelaide University) | Public | Adelaide, Roseworthy | Template:Country data AU-SA SA | 1874 | 1874 | 111= | 151–200 | 82= | 74 | 220 |
| University of Canberra | Public | Canberra | Template:Country data ACT ACT | 1967 | 1990 | 351–400 | 801–900 | 494= | 593 | 1353 |
| University of Divinity | Private collegiate (Australian) | Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth | 1910 | 2012 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| The University of Melbourne | Public | Melbourne | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1853 | 1853 | 37 | 37 | 19 | 27 | 28 |
| University of New England | Public | Armidale, Sydney | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1938 | 1954 | N/A | 901–1000 | 1001-1200 | 821 | 1081 |
| University of New South Wales | Public | Sydney, Canberra | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1949 | 1949 | 84 | 77 | 20 | 37= | 52 |
| The University of Newcastle | Public | Newcastle, Central Coast (Ourimbah), a suburb of Gosford, Sydney, Singapore | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1951 | 1965 | 201–250 | 401–500 | 227= | 231 | 388 |
| The University of Notre Dame Australia | Private | Fremantle, Broome, Sydney | Template:Country data AU-WA WA Template:Country data NSW NSW |
1989 | 1989 | N/A | N/A | 1201-1400 | 1511 | N/A |
| The University of Queensland | Public | Brisbane, Gatton | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1909 | 1909 | 70 | 63 | 42= | 36 | 48 |
| University of South Australia (now Adelaide University) | Public | Adelaide, Whyalla, Mount Gambier | Template:Country data AU-SA SA | 1856 | 1991 | 301–350 | 401–500 | 340= | 263 | 616 |
| University of Southern Queensland | Public | Toowoomba, Ipswich, Springfield | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1967 | 1992 | 351–400 | 601–700 | 410= | 452 | 1210 |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | Public | Sunshine Coast | Template:Country data QLD QLD | 1994 | 1994 | 501–600 | 701–800 | 1001–1200 | 1072 | 1126 |
| The University of Sydney | Public | Sydney | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1850 | 1850 | 60 | 74 | 25 | 28 | 36 |
| University of Tasmania | Public | Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, Sydney | Template:Country data TAS TAS | 1890 | 1890 | 251–300 | 301–400 | 314= | 273 | 491 |
| University of Technology Sydney | Public | Sydney | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1870 | 1988 | 148 | 201–300 | 96 | 112 | 315 |
| The University of Western Australia | Public | Perth, Albany | Template:Country data AU-WA WA | 1911 | 1911 | 143= | 101–150 | 77 | 83 | 203 |
| University of Wollongong | Public | Wollongong, Batemans Bay, Bega, Moss Vale, Nowra, Sydney, Dubai, Malaysia | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1951 | 1975 | 201–250 | 301–400 | 167= | 186 | 398 |
| Victoria University | Public | Melbourne, Sydney | Template:Country data VIC VIC | 1916 | 1990 | 401–500 | N/A | 741–750 | 649 | 1282 |
| Western Sydney University | Public | Sydney, Indonesia | Template:Country data NSW NSW | 1891 | 1989 | 301–350 | 301–400 | 400 | 234 | 615 |
Template:Education in Australia
Template:Australian universities