QS has released its 2025 edition of their World University Rankings, which includes 1502 institutions spread across 106 nations.
Australia’s universities continue to thrive in this ranking and have been more resilient than competitors in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Nine of the 38 Australian universities are in the top 100, compared to six in the 2017 edition. Another 16 are among the top 400.
Melbourne remains Australia’s premier university, ranked 13th and is followed by Sydney at 18th and UNSW at 19th, with the rest of Go8 institutions and UTS all ranked in the range between 30 and 88.
RMIT continues to climb and is now ranked =123rd globally, compared to =252nd in 2017. Deakin reaches the top 200 at 197th, compared to 355th in 2017.
Of the 28 Australian universities listed in the top 500, 11 declined in rank, 16 moved up, and one remained unchanged.
The main factors contributing to Australian universities’ success are the continued strong performance in citations per faculty (a proxy measure for impact) and the flow of impact on academic reputation.
Other factors which contribute to Australia’s strong performance are the high level of internationalization seen in the student and academic staff population.
For over a decade, Australian universities continue to exhibit relative weakness in the employer reputation survey. In the eyes of employers, it is a clear reflection of the improved educational quality of Asian universities.
Another weakness for Australian universities is the lower year-on-year scores in employment outcomes – a composite indicator of graduate employment and alumni impact. In addition, Australian universities have some of the most mediocre academic scores in the world. A decrease in academic staff has contributed to this decline, while it has increased citations per faculty scores.
The proposed cap to the number of international students will be detrimental to the standing of Australian universities and it will further accelerate the rise of Asian universities. The cap also threatens the viability of Australian universities, erodes Australia’s educational quality and knowledge production capacity, and runs contrary to addressing skills shortages.
