The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) results for Australia.

Shanghai ARWU university rankings

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University covers the world's top research universities. Included are some of the leading Australian universities for academic research.

ARWU Ranking for Australia: 2025

Aust rank World rank University State
1 37 University of Melbourne VIC
2 63 University of Queensland QLD
3 74 University of Sydney NSW
4 77 University of New South Wales NSW
5 82 Monash University VIC
6 101-150 Australian National University ACT
6 101-150 University of Western Australia WA
8 151-200 University of Adelaide SA
9 201-300 Curtin University WA
9 201-300 Deakin University VIC
9 201-300 Griffith University QLD
9 201-300 Macquarie University NSW
9 201-300 QUT QLD
9 201-300 Swinburne VIC
9 201-300 UTS Sydney NSW
16 301-400 James Cook University QLD
16 301-400 La Trobe University VIC
16 301-400 RMIT University VIC
16 301-400 University of Tasmania TAS
16 301-400 University of Wollongong NSW
16 301-400 Western Sydney University NSW
22 401-500 Flinders University SA
22 401-500 University of Newcastle NSW
22 401-500 University of South Australia SA
25 501-600 Murdoch University WA
26 601-700 Australian Catholic University NSW
26 601-700 Edith Cowan University WA
26 601-700 UniSQ QLD
29 701-800 University of the Sunshine Coast QLD
30 801-900 University of Canberra ACT
31 901-1000 Charles Sturt University NSW

Results for Australian Universities

Coming into 2025, ARWU rates 5 Australian universities in the world's top 100. A total of 24 Australian universities made the cut into the world's top 500. In other words, most of Australia's universities are rated among the best in the world for research.

The University of Melbourne stands out as the only Australian institution in the top 50 globally, ranked 37th. Others in the top 100 for world university rankings are the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and Monash University.

Scoring System

The ARWU ranking measures elite research performance using 6 indicators:

  1. number of alumni winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals (10%)
  2. number of staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals (20%)
  3. number of highly cited researchers selected by Thomson Scientific (20%)
  4. number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science (20%)
  5. number of articles indexed in Science Citation Indexes (20%)
  6. per capita performance considering the size of an institution (10%).

Ranking Method and Value

The Shanghai ARWU rankings objectively measure the calibre of research staff and the quality and volume of publications. Unlike web rankings, the data relate to official academic journals.

For students, the main value of the rankings is to identify prestigious universities. A degree from a prestigious institution can be more valuable in the job market. Other prestige rankings are produced by QS and Times Higher Education.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University's ranking is exclusively based on research-related indicators. The ranking does not include data from the humanities, as this would favour universities in English-speaking countries.

More Australian Uni Rankings