Australia’s higher education system has ranked third, after the United States and United Kingdom, according to the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, by global higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
Now in its fourteenth year, the rankings provide an independent comparative analysis of the performance of more than 16,400 individual university programmes, taken by students at more than 1500 universities, in 95 countries and territories, across 55 academic disciplines and five broad faculty areas (Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Management).
The standout performances by Australian universities in the Rankings by Subject belong to The University of Melbourne and The University of Sydney. Each institution featured in the top 100 for an impressive 53 and 52 out of 56 subjects respectively, a feat not achieved by any other university worldwide.
Australian universities also performed strongly in the World’s Top 10, with nine Australian universities featuring in 17 subject areas, three more than last year. The three highest-ranked courses are offered by The University of Queensland, Monash University and Curtin University, ranking second globally in Pharmacy, Sports-related Subjects, and Mineral & Mining Engineering, respectively. The Australian National University was the Australian university to appear most frequently in the world’s top ten, with five of the 17 entries.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024: Australian Universities in World’s Top 10
| 2024 | 2023 | Institution | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | The University of Queensland | Sports-related Subjects |
| 2 | 2 | Monash University | Pharmacy & Pharmacology |
| 2 | 2 | Curtin University | Engineering - Mineral & Mining |
| 3 | 4 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | Engineering - Mineral & Mining |
| 4 | 4 | The University of Sydney | Sports-related Subjects |
| 4 | 5 | The University of Queensland | Engineering - Mineral & Mining |
| 6 | 13 | The University of Sydney | Anatomy & Physiology |
| 7 | 7 | The University of Adelaide | Petroleum Engineering |
| 7 | 7 | The University of Western Australia | Engineering - Mineral & Mining |
| 8 | 10 | The Australian National University | Politics & International Studies |
| 8 | 8 | The Australian National University | Archaeology |
| 9 | 13 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | Petroleum Engineering |
| 9 | 12 | The University of Melbourne | Sports-related Subjects |
| 9 | 8 | The Australian National University | Philosophy |
| 9 | 8 | The Australian National University | Anthropology |
| 10 | 11 | The University of Melbourne | Law |
| 10 | 14 | The Australian National University | Development Studies |
According to this year’s results, Australia as a country has the world’s third-strongest higher education system, ranking third among countries with the highest representation of universities in the top 50, 100, and 200 global rankings. Australia follows the United States and United Kingdom with 906 total entries, from thirty-six Australian universities.
According to Jessica Turner, CEO at QS, “Australia has a remarkable concentration of high-quality universities with exceptional breadth, resulting in 7% of the world’s top 50 and top 100 ranked subjects, which is the third-highest proportion among all ranked higher education systems”.
Leading countries by number of entries per tier
| Ranked Universities | Total Entries | Top 1 | Top 3 | Top 10 | Top 20 | Top 50 | Top 100 | Top 200 | Top 500 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 213 | 3508 | 37 | 90 | 274 | 496 | 922 | 1454 | 2246 | 3332 |
| United Kingdom | 103 | 1804 | 16 | 68 | 164 | 254 | 464 | 769 | 1243 | 1733 |
| Australia | 36 | 906 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 52 | 218 | 405 | 610 | 884 |
| Canada | 32 | 747 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 65 | 167 | 247 | 436 | 716 |
| China (Mainland) | 101 | 1041 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 37 | 135 | 284 | 520 | 949 |
| Germany | 60 | 912 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 109 | 249 | 492 | 861 |
| Netherlands | 21 | 382 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 34 | 104 | 188 | 296 | 375 |
| France | 74 | 615 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 85 | 166 | 326 | 577 |
| Singapore | 5 | 115 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 54 | 85 | 100 | 110 | 113 |
| Hong Kong SAR | 9 | 230 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 75 | 144 | 195 | 225 |
US universities lead the rankings in 32 subjects. Harvard University is the world’s strongest-performing institution, ranking first in 19 disciplines. It is followed by MIT which leads in 11 subjects. UK institutions top 16 subject tables, with the University of Oxford leading in four. It is followed by the University of Cambridge, UCL, Royal College of Art and the Royal College of Music which each top two subjects.
Among the four leading Australian universities in terms of representation, three have seen an overall improvement in their year-on-year rankings. The University of Sydney performed strongly, achieving the most significant advancement, while The University of Melbourne experienced a marginal decline.
QS World Universities by Subject 2024 – Top Universities for number of Top 100 and Top 200 entries
| Institution | Country/ Territory | Count of Subjects | Top 100 | Top 200 | Ups | Down | Same | New | Overall change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Melbourne | Australia | 53 | 53 | 53 | 15 | 24 | 9 | 5 | -17% |
| The University of Sydney | Australia | 52 | 52 | 52 | 28 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 31% |
| University of British Columbia | Canada | 51 | 49 | 51 | 24 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 10% |
| University of Toronto | Canada | 50 | 49 | 50 | 22 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 4% |
| The University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR | 49 | 45 | 49 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 22% |
| Monash University | Australia | 49 | 45 | 49 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 12% |
| Universidade de São Paulo | Brazil | 49 | 44 | 49 | 25 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 39% |
| The University of Queensland | Australia | 50 | 43 | 49 | 24 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 30% |
| McGill University | Canada | 48 | 47 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 29% |
| The University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 48 | 45 | 48 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 2% |
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024: Australian Universities Highlights
There were other positives for individual Australian universities:
- Monash University maintains its prestigious second place in Pharmacy and Pharmacology, positioned between the leading Harvard University and the University of Oxford.
- Curtin University achieved recognition in 29 academic disciplines and has retained the second position globally in Engineering – Mineral & Mining.
- The University of Queensland is confirmed the second-best in the world for Sports-related subjects and has risen to fourth place in Engineering – Mineral & Mining.
- UNSW Sydney has advanced one position to secure the rank of the world’s third-best university in Engineering – Mineral & Mining. Additionally, it has made significant strides in Petroleum Engineering, entering the world’s top 10 at 9th place—rising four places year on year.
- The University of Sydney is the only other Australian university to feature among the world’s top five, securing the fourth position in Sports-related Subjects. It also achieved 6th place in Anatomy and Physiology.
- The Australian National University ranks 8th in Politics & International Studies and Archaeology; 9th in Philosophy and Anthropology; and breaks into the top 10 in Development Studies, rising four places.
- The University of Western Australia’s highest ranking is in Engineering – Mineral & Mining, securing the 7th position globally.
- The University of Adelaide has secured the seventh position in Petroleum Engineering and the 19th position in Engineering – Mineral & Mining.
- Deakin University places just outside the world’s top 10 in Sports-related Subjects (11th).
Of Australia’s performance in the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, Angel Calderon, Director, Strategic Insights, RMIT University and member of the QS Rankings Advisory Board, said: “These results highlight how Australian universities continue to perform well despite the challenging circumstances experienced over the past five years. The government’s response to the Higher Education Accord review will be fundamental in shaping how are Australian universities are seen in the global stage.”
