The top-ranking Australian universities for 2021
When choosing a university in Australia, there are a lot of things to consider. There is no one university that is best for all students, since different things matter to different people.
First, there is there is the characteristics of a uni — what are the teachers like, and how many students will be in a class? There’s the experience you have once you enrol at uni – how much support is there, and how good are the learning resources? And finally, the outcome of your studying experience – how likely you are to get a job, and much you could earn as a graduate.
Each year we release a fresh batch of university rankings, which reveal Australia’s top performing universities in 13 different categories. These ratings provide a series of rankings and insights on Australian universities, helping you in the decision-making process when deciding where to study.
You can also filter these ratings by postgraduate level — and for some rating types, you can filter by the area of study you’re interested in. If you’ve already got your heart set on moving to a particular part of Australia, you can filter by state to narrow down your options.
The 13 rating types are listed in the table below, and we’ve listed the university that ranked highest in each rating category for undergraduate courses.
Characteristics
| Rating type | Definition | Top University (undergraduate) |
|---|---|---|
| Social equity | The proportion of domestic students enrolling at each university from low socioeconomic or disadvantaged backgrounds | CQ University Australia – 40% |
| Student Demand | Where high-achieving students choose to study — compares the proportion of commencing students with high ATAR scores at each university | University of Queensland — Low: 0 Medium: 65 High: 35 |
| Student – Teacher Ratio | The number of students per teaching staff member | Flinders University — 18:1 |
| First Generation | The proportion of domestic students commencing a bachelor degree whose parents’ education is known and did not exceed Year 12 | Federation University — 54% |
| Staff Qualification | The proportion of staff who hold a masters or doctoral degree | Australian National University — 90% |
The Educational Experience
| Rating type | Definition | Top University (undergraduate) |
|---|---|---|
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The proportion of students who felt they were engaged with learning in their institution |
Bond University — 84% |
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The proportion of students who were satisfied with the overall quality of their educational experience |
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The proportion of students who were satisfied with the skill development they experienced through their studies |
Bond University — 91% |
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The proportion of students who were satisfied with the support they received from their institution |
Bond University — 90% |
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The proportion of students who were satisfied with the learning resources provided by their institutio |
Bond University — 93% |
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The proportion of students who were satisfied with the quality of teaching they experienced |
Graduate Outcomes
| Rating type | Definition | Top University (undergraduate) |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Salary | The median salary of graduates from different universities | University of Tasmania — $67,600 |
| Full time Employment | The employment rates of graduates from different universities | Charles Sturt University — 87% |
Remember that courses and institutions differ in many ways — only you can decide which differences really matter to you.
Head to the Ratings tab to view the most recent ratings across all categories, and filter by subject, level of study or state to find the uni that suits you.
Further reading
