There are 42 universities in Australia out of which 38 are public universities and 4 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 Avondale University in 2021.[14]
University | Type | Campus[15] | State/ Territory [15] |
Estab. | University status |
Times rank[16] | ARWU rank[17] | QS rank[18] | US News rank[19] |
CWTS rank [20] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Catholic University | Public | Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney, Blacktown, Ballarat, Strathfield, Italy | National | 1991 | 1991 | 401–500 | 501–600 | 901-950 | 416 | 1374 |
Australian National University | Public | Canberra | ACT | 1946 | 1946 | 67 | 84 | 30 | 62 | 259 |
Avondale University | Non-profit private (Australian) | Lake Macquarie, Wahroonga | NSW | 1897 | 2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Bond University | Non-profit private (Australian) | Gold Coast | QLD | 1987 | 1987 | 401–500 | 901–1000 | 587= | 1455 | N/A |
Central Queensland University | Public | Rockhampton, Mackay, Brisbane, Sydney, Townsville, Cairns, Melbourne, Adelaide, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Jakarta | QLD | 1967 | 1992 | 501–600 | N/A | 495= | 1095 | 1329 |
Charles Darwin University | Public | Darwin | NT | 1989 | 2003 | 401–500 | 601–700 | 621-630 | 959 | N/A |
Charles Sturt University | Public | Albury, Bathurst, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Port Macquarie, Brisbane, Sydney,[note 1] Melbourne | NSW | 1948 | 1989 | 801–1000 | N/A | 851-900 | 764 | 1229 |
Curtin University | Public | Perth, Kalgoorlie, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Mauritius | WA | 1966 | 1986 | 201–250 | 201–300 | 174 | 160 | 310 |
Deakin University | Public | Melbourne, Geelong, Warrnambool | VIC | 1974 | 1974 | 251–300 | 201–300 | 197 | 217 | 297 |
Edith Cowan University | Public | Perth, Bunbury | WA | 1902 | 1991 | 351–400 | 601–700 | 516= | 495 | 1003 |
Federation University Australia | Public | Ballarat, Melbourne, Churchill, Horsham | VIC | 1870 | 1994 | 601–800 | N/A | N/A | 1288 | N/A |
Flinders University | Public | Adelaide | SA | 1966 | 1966 | 301–350 | 301–400 | 336= | 426 | 564 |
Griffith University | Public | Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane | QLD | 1971 | 1971 | 251–300 | 301–400 | 255 | 203 | 316 |
James Cook University | Public | Cairns, Singapore, Townsville | QLD | 1970 | 1970 | 351–400 | 301–400 | 445= | 324 | 698 |
La Trobe University | Public | Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wodonga, Sydney | VIC | 1964 | 1964 | 251–300 | 301–400 | 217 | 304 | 524 |
Macquarie University | Public | Sydney | NSW | 1964 | 1964 | 180 | 201–300 | 133= | 192 | 360 |
Monash University | Public | Melbourne, Malaysia | VIC | 1958 | 1958 | 54 | 77 | 37 | 37= | 49 |
Murdoch University | Public | Perth | WA | 1973 | 1973 | 351–400 | 401–500 | 436= | 673 | 927 |
Queensland University of Technology | Public | Brisbane | QLD | 1965 | 1989 | 199= | 301–400 | 213 | 171 | 335 |
RMIT University | Public | Melbourne, Vietnam | VIC | 1887 | 1992 | 251–300 | 301–400 | 123= | 209 | 378 |
Southern Cross University | Public | Coffs Harbour, Lismore, Tweed Heads, Gold Coast, Sydney,[note 1] Melbourne[note 1] | NSW | 1954 | 1994 | 501–600 | 901–1000 | 576= | 997 | N/A |
Swinburne University of Technology | Public | Melbourne, Malaysia | VIC | 1908 | 1992 | 201–250 | 201–300 | 291= | 199 | 682 |
Torrens University Australia | For-profit private (International) | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, New Zealand, China | National, New Zealand |
2014 | 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
The University of Adelaide | Public | Adelaide | SA | 1874 | 1874 | 111= | 151–200 | 82= | 74 | 220 |
University of Canberra | Public | Canberra | ACT | 1967 | 1990 | 351–400 | 801–900 | 403= | 593 | 1353 |
University of Divinity | Private collegiate (Australian) | Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth | National | 1910 | 2012 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
The University of Melbourne | Public | Melbourne | VIC | 1853 | 1853 | 37 | 35 | 13 | 27 | 28 |
University of New England | Public | Armidale, Sydney | NSW | 1938 | 1954 | N/A | 901–1000 | 1001-1200 | 821 | 1081 |
University of New South Wales | Public | Sydney, Canberra | NSW | 1949 | 1949 | 84 | 72 | 19 | 37= | 52 |
The University of Newcastle | Public | Newcastle, Central Coast (Ourimbah), a suburb of Gosford, Sydney, Singapore | NSW | 1951 | 1965 | 201–250 | 401–500 | 179= | 231 | 388 |
The University of Notre Dame Australia | Public[21] | Fremantle, Broome, Sydney | WA NSW |
1989 | 1989 | N/A | N/A | 1401+ | 1511 | N/A |
The University of Queensland | Public | Brisbane, Gatton | QLD | 1909 | 1909 | 70 | 51 | 40= | 36 | 48 |
University of South Australia | Public | Adelaide, Whyalla, Mount Gambier | SA | 1856 | 1991 | 301–350 | 501–600 | 340= | 263 | 616 |
University of Southern Queensland | Public | Toowoomba, Ipswich, Springfield | QLD | 1967 | 1992 | 351–400 | 901–1000 | 396= | 452 | 1210 |
University of the Sunshine Coast | Public | Sunshine Coast | QLD | 1994 | 1994 | 501–600 | 701–800 | 1001–1200 | 1072 | 1126 |
The University of Sydney | Public | Sydney | NSW | 1850 | 1850 | 60 | 73 | 18 | 28 | 36 |
University of Tasmania | Public | Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, Sydney | TAS | 1890 | 1890 | 251–300 | 201–300 | 293= | 273 | 491 |
University of Technology Sydney | Public | Sydney | NSW | 1870 | 1988 | 148 | 201–300 | 88 | 112 | 315 |
The University of Western Australia | Public | Perth, Albany | WA | 1911 | 1911 | 143= | 101–150 | 77 | 83 | 203 |
University of Wollongong | Public | Wollongong, Batemans Bay, Bega, Moss Vale, Nowra, Sydney, Dubai, Malaysia | NSW | 1951 | 1975 | 201–250 | 201–300 | 167= | 186 | 398 |
Victoria University | Public | Melbourne, Sydney | VIC | 1916 | 1990 | 401–500 | N/A | 741-750 | 649 | 1282 |
Western Sydney University | Public | Sydney | NSW | 1891 | 1989 | 301–350 | 301–400 | 384 | 234 | 615 |