Australian University Rankings

Understand Australian university rankings, including QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU, and see where Western Australian universities rank.

Australian University Rankings

Australian university rankings can help you compare universities by research, reputation, teaching environment, international outlook and other measures. The result depends on which ranking you use.

Three of the major global systems are the QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Each uses its own methodology, so an Australian university can hold quite different positions across the three.

If you are considering studying in Western Australia, this guide explains how the rankings work, where WA’s five universities currently sit and how to use ranking data alongside the factors that matter most to your study journey.

Rankings last reviewed: 27 August 2026.

How are Australian universities ranked?

Australian universities are ranked by independent ranking organisations that collect and compare university performance data. There is no single official Australian university ranking, and each global ranking system applies its own methodology.

For example, QS gives significant weight to academic reputation and also considers employer reputation, research citations, faculty-to-student ratios, international engagement, employment outcomes and sustainability. THE assesses research-intensive universities across teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry. ARWU is more heavily focused on academic and research performance.

This means a ranking position only makes sense in the context of the ranking system behind it.

If you are searching for the best universities in Australia or top universities in Australia, first ask what "best" means for you. A ranking based heavily on research performance may be useful if research is central to your goals. Another system may give you more information about employer reputation, international engagement or the learning environment.

What are the major university ranking systems?

QS, Times Higher Education (THE) and ARWU are three widely used global university rankings. Their methodologies give students different perspectives on university performance.

Ranking system	What it measures	Useful for understanding
QS World University Rankings	The current methodology groups indicators across research and discovery, employability and outcomes, learning experience, global engagement and sustainability. Academic reputation carries 30% of the overall weighting, followed by citations per faculty at 20% and employer reputation at 15%.	A broad view that combines academic and employer reputation with research, internationalisation, learning environment and graduate-related measures.
Time Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings	THE’s 2026 methodology uses 18 indicators across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry. Research environment and research quality together account for the largest share of the overall score.	The performance of research-intensive universities across teaching, research, international engagement and links with industry.
Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)	ARWU assesses academic and research performance using measures including Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, publications in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation databases and per-capita academic performance.	Research output and academic achievement, particularly for universities with substantial research activity.

Why can a university rank differently across QS, THE and ARWU?

A university can rank differently because each system measures and weights different things.

QS currently gives 30% of its overall score to academic reputation and includes employer reputation and employment outcomes. THE places substantial weight on research environment and research quality alongside teaching. ARWU concentrates on research and academic achievements and does not use the same reputation or student-focused measures.

A university may therefore perform strongly in one system because its particular strengths align closely with that methodology.

This is why StudyPerth recommends reading the ranking name and edition alongside the number itself, rather than treating different ranking systems as interchangeable.

Where do Western Australian universities rank?

Western Australia's five universities appear at different positions across QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU. The table below uses the latest editions available as at 27 August 2026. QS World University Rankings 2027, THE World University Rankings 2026, and ARWU 2026.

Western Australian university	QS World University Rankings 2027	THE World University Rankings 2026	ARWU 2026
The University of Western Australia (UWA)	=77	153	101-150
Curtin University	189	251-300	201-300
Murdoch University	422	401-500	801-900
Edith Cowan University (ECU)	545	351-400	901-1000
The University of Notre Dame Australia	1201-1400	801-1000	Not listed in the published top 1,000*

*ARWU assesses more than 2,500 universities and publishes its highest-ranked 1,000. A university without a published ARWU position should therefore be treated as unranked in the published table, rather than assigned an equivalent position.

The differences across this table show why a single number cannot give you the full picture. UWA, for example, is ranked =77 in QS 2027, 153 in THE 2026 and within the 101-150 band in ARWU 2026. Each result reflects a different methodology.

Ranking positions also change as new editions are published. Check the ranking year whenever you compare universities, especially if your research spans several months.

What is the Group of Eight?

The Group of Eight (Go8) is an association of eight Australian research-intensive universities. It is separate from university ranking systems such as QS, THE and ARWU.

The current Group of Eight universities are:

Adelaide University
The Australian National University
The University of Melbourne
Monash University
UNSW Sydney
The University of Queensland
The University of Sydney
The University of Western Australia

Is UWA a Group of Eight university?

Yes. The University of Western Australia is Western Australia's Group of Eight member. It is the only WA university in the group.

Go8 membership can be useful if you are looking for a research-intensive university environment. The organisation describes its members as research-intensive universities and focuses strongly on higher education, research policy and international research partnerships.

Membership is one piece of information about a university. Your course, academic interests, learning preferences, campus experience and career goals should also guide your decision.

How important are university rankings when choosing where to study?

University rankings are most useful as a starting point for deeper research. They can help you understand aspects of institutional reputation, research performance, international engagement and other characteristics measured by the ranking system.

Then bring the decision back to the experience you will actually have as a student.

Use rankings to investigate:

How a university performs under criteria that matter to you
Its overall research profile
Academic or employer reputation where the methodology measures it
International engagement
Performance in relevant subject rankings, where available

Investigate these factors separately:

Whether a university offers the course and specialisation you want
Course structure, units and practical learning opportunities
Entry requirements
Tuition fees and scholarships
Campus location and the kind of student experience you want
Student support and services
Work-integrates learning, placements or industry opportunities relevant to your course
Your longer-term study and career goals

StudyPerth's Study Areas can help you move from a broad university comparison into the subjects and career pathways that interest you.

You can also explore StudyPerth profiles for Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, The University of Notre Dame Australia, and The University of Western Australia to learn more about their studyareas and university experiences.

Do university rankings matter for employability?

Rankings can provide some information related to employability, depending on the methodology. QS, for example, currently includes employer reputation and employment outcomes in its overall World University Ranking.

Your employment prospects also depend on factors specific to you and your chosen field, including the course you complete, your skills, professional accreditation where relevant, work experience, industry connections and the labour market when you graduate.

If building your career is one of the reasons you want to study overseas, look beyond an overall university position and investigate what your actual course offers to help you gain relevant knowledge and experience.

Explore universities in Western Australia

Rankings can help you understand one part of the university landscape. Your next step is to explore which university and course could give you the study experience you want in Western Australia.

Start with StudyPerth's Australian Universities guide to compare WA's five universities by study strengths, campus setting and location. From there, you can explore individual university profiles and discover the study areas and courses available across Perth.

Australian Universities Guide

Frequently asked questions about Australian university rankings

The Group of Eight comprises Adelaide University, the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, UNSW Sydney, the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney and the University of Western Australia. UWA is Western Australia’s only Go8 member.

Rankings can provide useful signals, particularly where a methodology considers employer reputation or employment outcomes. QS includes both in its current World University Rankings methodology. Your individual employability will also depend on your course, skills, experience, professional requirements, networks and labour-market conditions.

Western Australia’s five universities hold different positions across QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU, and those positions change as new editions are released. Use the dated comparison table above to see the latest available rankings for UWA, Curtin University, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University and The University of Notre Dame Australia.

There is no single ranking system you need to follow. QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU assess universities differently, so using more than one can give you a broader picture. Look at what each ranking measures and give more weight to the criteria that matter for your course, career goals and study experience.

Their results differ because each system measures and weights university performance differently. QS includes areas such as academic and employer reputation, THE places strong emphasis on teaching and research, and ARWU is heavily focused on academic and research performance. A university can therefore perform differently depending on the methodology used.

Subject rankings can be particularly useful when you already know what you want to study. An overall university ranking measures institution-wide performance, while subject rankings can provide more specific information about strength in areas such as engineering, business, medicine or computer science. Check the methodology and year before using any subject ranking to compare courses.