Best Universities Ranking 2025
Latest
Australia’s top-ranked universities revealed
Find out which institutions performed best in key areas and the one that took out the overall top spot in the Financial Review Best Universities Ranking.
Excelling in equity: Uni champions fair-go ethos
Charles Darwin University has been recognised for initiatives that open its doors – and it has many.
Australia well behind in R&D funding race
Our business sector does not value R&D and innovation nearly as much as our international peers.
How the Best Universities Ranking is created
The Financial Review’s ranking of universities uses traditional measures of excellence alongside student satisfaction and equity data.
Meet the researchers tackling big problems
Combining knowledge and expertise across disciplines is the new face of successful university research.
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November
Uni leading the way in the leap from study to work
Gaining a university degree is one thing. Turning it into a career is another challenge.
Cross-country road trip to achieve uni dream
For the second year in a row, Bond University on the Gold Coast has taken out the top spot for teaching in the Best Universities Ranking.
June
Fixing the ‘crisis’ of Australian universities
Higher education, in the words of one expert, is in “serious trouble”. Can Jason Clare, regarded as the nicest minister in Canberra, fix the system?
November 2024
These three scenarios show how HECS debt hits your borrowing capacity
Instead of paying his student loan down faster with extra repayments, this 26-year-old chose to divert his savings to build a house deposit. It paid off.
The uni degree that set this household name on her career path
Journalist Cheng Lei is among the University of Queensland’s notable alumni. A degree in commerce was not her first choice, but she has zero regrets.
Here’s the overall winner in the AFR’s Best Universities Ranking
For the second year in a row, UQ has taken out pole position in The Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking.
How these unis help overcome student disadvantage
The University of Wollongong is the top ranked university in the Equity category in this year’s The Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking.
A student-centric guide to the best universities
We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of institutions beyond the traditional global rankings of research and reputation.
How we ranked Australia’s best universities
The Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking evaluates performance under four pillars: Teaching, Research, Career Impact and Equity, writes Tim Brown.
Bond University rides crest of the wave for teaching
Bond University has been named the top university for Teaching in this year’s The Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking.
Two unis walking the career path alongside graduates
University of NSW and University of Sydney, joint winners of the Career Impact category, guide students on landing their dream job.
Stellar records on research at risk from funding shortfall
Melbourne University, ranked No.1 in the Research category, has created an ecosystem with industry partners and policymakers.
Monash University’s new boss says don’t call us elite
Despite coming in third overall in The Australian Financial Review’s Best Universities Ranking, it has long had a chip on its shoulder about rival Melbourne.
Why do arts students pay more than medical students?
Australia’s university sector will mark an expensive milestone with the $50,000 arts degree, but the changes might not be helping students or the economy.
‘We are being sacrificed’: Foreign students hit back at caps
Kepuyan Wu, from China, is frustrated by the federal government’s move to cap new foreign students at 270,000 in 2025 as a response to the housing crisis.
October 2024
How we ranked the business schools
BOSS Best Business Schools showcases the strength and depth of schools across diverse institutions.
November 2023
Students hold key to riding high on AFR’s Best Universities Ranking
There’s a rule of thumb in Australia’s tertiary education sector that the bigger a uni is, the poorer the student experience is. It doesn’t need to be this way.
Revealed: Australia’s best universities 2023
The inaugural Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking is the first that recognises traditional notions of excellence.
The winner of the Financial Review’s Best Universities Ranking
The Australian Financial Review’s Best Universities Ranking is the first time the full diversity of Australian institutions has been recognised, producing a very different league table.
Melbourne earns top marks for research
The vice-chancellor’s pedigree and the blossoming of the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct help to explain why Melbourne University has ranked number one in both the research and reputation categories.