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You know that feeling right before receiving an exam result back: butterflies in the belly, sweaty palms and a mind racing through worst-case scenarios. Well, it turns out that even the most prestigious academic institutions aren't immune to that exact same pre-results terror.
One of the most anticipated days of the year for these institutions is the release of the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. The 2027 results were unveiled last week, and nine Aussie universities landed in the top 100 globally. Even better? More than half of our 37 local unis included improved their position from last year, with a new number one emerging.
To compile the 2027 rankings, QS assessed more than 1,500 institutions from around the world on everything from subjects and student experience to academic reputation, employment outcomes and international student ratio. The top five were pretty similar to last year, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology holding onto first place for a whopping 15th consecutive year, followed by Imperial College London and Stanford in equal second.
Claiming the title of Australia’s best institution for 2027 is the University of New South Wales, which landed 19th on the global list. In a historic shake-up, it overtook the University of Melbourne (22nd globally) to snatch Australia’s number one spot for the very first time – a big jump from its 49th place ranking back in 2017. This victory was mostly due to strong scores in employment outcomes and sustainability measures.
The Australian National University also rose three places to 32nd overall, while Monash had its strongest performance to date, climbing five places to 31st. The University of Queensland moved up two places to 40th globally, with Adelaide University and the University of Technology Sydney also rising in the top 100.
You can check out the full rankings here, or see the Australian summary below.
Australia’s best universities for 2027, according to the QS World University Rankings
19. University of New South Wales
22. University of Melbourne
28. University of Sydney
29. Australian National University
31. Monash University
40. University of Queensland
77. University of Western Australia
79. Adelaide University
87. University of Technology Sydney
119. RMIT University
126. Macquarie University
189. Curtin University
195. University of Wollongong
227. Deakin University
230. Griffith University
240. Queensland University of Technology
241. La Trobe University
244. University of Newcastle
291. Swinburne University of Technology
311. University of Tasmania
370. Western Sydney University
374. Flinders University
411. University of Southern Queensland
422. Murdoch University
436. Central Queensland University
438. James Cook University
477. University of Canberra
518. Bond University
545. Edith Cowan University
551. Charles Darwin University
634. Southern Cross University
696. Victoria University
851-900. Australian Catholic University
851-900. University of the Sunshine Coast
951-1000. Charles Sturt University
1201-1400. University of Notre Dame
1201-1400. University of New England