QS ranks Aussie universities among world’s best but future in doubt
Australian universities have ranked among the world’s best, but experts warn their future is at risk because of one reason.
A leading global university ranking agency has warned that plans to slash international student numbers could hurt the competitiveness of Australian tertiary educators.
QS, one of the “big three” global ranking systems, released its 2025 world rankings on Wednesday, with three Australian educators retaining their top 20 places.
University of Melbourne topped the local rankings at No.13 worldwide, while The University of Sydney and UNSW came in at 18th and 19th respectively.
Despite a further eight Australian universities cracking the top 100, QS chief executive Jessica Turner warned against a planned crackdown on foreign students.
“These measures may prompt several thousands of prospective students to look beyond Australia,” Ms Turner told The Australian.
“This impacts a $48bn export sector that relies heavily on international student fees to fund research and maintain its cutting-edge status.
“It is important to balance regulatory measures with the need to support the international education sector and the opportunities it provides.
“We hope that a thoughtful approach will be taken to avoid unintended negative impacts on students, universities and Australia’s global competitiveness.”
Earlier this year, the Albanese government announced plans to slash migration, including by putting a cap on international students.
The Bill would give Education Minister Jason Clare powers to set a maximum number of international student enrolments.
It came after the number of international students in Australia shot up from 580,00 pre-pandemic to 700,000.
QS reportedly also warned that Australian universities were vulnerable to low staff-to-student ratios, which dragged down performance despite measuring reforms.
The rating agency controversially changed its methodology last year in a way that favoured Australian universities over renowned international campuses.
Elsewhere in the rankings, ANU came in at 30th, Monash University 37th, The University of Queensland 40th and UTS 88th.
Globally, MIT in the US topped the rankings, followed by Imperial College London and Oxford.
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