29 Oct 2024

Group of Eight (Go8) Universities

What are the Go8 Universities in Australia?

Group of Eight Go8 universities

The Group of Eight (Go8) universities in Australia are elite research institutions that typically lead world rankings of Australian universities. They are the top 8 universities in Australia because of their strong research profiles and name recognition.

The Go8 universities may also be called the Group of 8 or G8 universities. They are akin to the Ivy League, top-tier education institutions in the United States.

The Go8 work together at times to advocate for research funding and influence higher education policy. The Group of Eight name was coined when these unis formalised their historical collaborations and partnerships by establishing a not-for-profit company in 1999.

World Ranking: 31

The University of Melbourne is Australia’s top-ranking university, consistently placed within the world’s top 50 by major ranking agencies.

Acceptance Rate: 23%

Melbourne University has the lowest acceptance rate based on ATAR requirements, with minimum scores of 88 for Arts, 93 for Business, and 85 for Science.

Students: 72,244
World Ranking: 52

The University of Sydney ranks 52nd globally and consistently performs within the top 100 across major ranking lists.

Acceptance Rate: 30%

Sydney University has a low acceptance rate reflecting ATAR requirements of 80+ for Arts and Science, and a more competitive 95 for Business.

Students: 76,088
World Ranking: 55

UNSW Sydney ranks within the world’s top 100 universities and even places in the top 20 on some ranking lists.

Acceptance Rate: 31%

UNSW Sydney has some of Australia’s highest entry requirements, with an ATAR of 80+ for Arts and Science and 93 for Business.

Students: 70,342
World Ranking: 57

The University of Queensland holds a global ranking of 57, placing it just outside Australia’s top three and above Monash and ANU.

Acceptance Rate: 39%

UQ has competitive entry requirements, with a minimum ATAR of 75 for Arts, 87 for Business, and 79 for Science.

Students: 55,412
World Ranking: 60

Monash University in Melbourne ranks 60th globally and completes the top 5 universities in Australia.

Acceptance Rate: 53%

Entry standards are relatively accessible at Australia’s largest university, with an ATAR of 70 for Arts and 75 for Business and Science.

Students: 84,196
World Ranking: 78

ANU ranks 78th globally, a strong position for a mid-sized university.

Acceptance Rate: 40%

Prospective students from Canberra and beyond know ANU’s entry benchmark, with a minimum ATAR of 80 for mainstream courses.

Students: 24,251
World Ranking: 122

UWA in Perth ranks 122nd globally but appears in the top 100 on some ranking lists.

Acceptance Rate: 40%

Similar to ANU, UWA requires a minimum ATAR of 80 across Arts, Business, and Science courses.

Students: 27,081
World Ranking: 125

The University of Adelaide ranks within the world’s top 200 universities, with a potential rankings boost expected after merging with the University of South Australia in 2026.

Acceptance Rate: 70%

A minimum ATAR of 65 applies to mainstream courses at the University of Adelaide, offering access to many prospective students in S.A.

Students: 30,174

Non-G8 Universities

Several Australian unis rival the Go8 universities in terms of global ranking, prestige, and size. Just outside the top 8 universities are the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Macquarie University, Deakin University, Curtin University, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and RMIT University.

In world rankings, UTS leads non-Go8 unis at #163, followed by Macquarie at 190, Deakin at 215, Curtin at 216, QUT at 225, and RMIT at 237. By comparison, the bottom-ranked Go8 university is Adelaide Uni at #125.

Acceptance rates reveal that some non-G8 unis are more selective than certain Go8 members. UTS at 45% and Macquarie at 50% are harder to get into than Adelaide, which has a 70% acceptance rate.

In terms of student numbers, some non-Go8 universities also exceed their G8 counterparts. RMIT leads with over 73,000 students, followed by Deakin (57,591), Curtin (52,137), and QUT (52,127). These numbers surpass the University of Western Australia and ANU, which have enrolments under 30,000.