The world rankings have been compiled annually since 2011 and typically looks at over 1,350 universities based on 48 subject areas. The top-rated law schools are then determined based on reputation, citations per paper and h-index citations. 

The University of Melbourne ranked as the best place in Australia to study law but dropped from the top 10 this year to sit in 11th place. In 2019, the university sat in the sixth best place to study law in the world. While there is no data explaining why Australia’s top university has dropped further down, it could be attributed to global universities making changes over the last few years. 

The Australian universities in the top 50 rankings are: 

11th: University of Melbourne (down from 10th)

13th: UNSW (up from 14th) 

14th: University of Sydney (down from 13th) 

17th: Australian National University (maintained position) 

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40th: Monash University (down from 35th) 

43rd: The University of Queensland (down from 39th) 

Commenting on their position in the top 50, the UNSW said it is its mission to “help solve major societal challenges”. 

“From engineering to law and to environmental sciences – encompassing many other disciplines – we are contributing to the social and economic future of Australia. Our community can be proud of these achievements and the positive impact of our endeavours,” said UNSW president and vice-chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs. 

On why the university dropped down the list, deputy vice-chancellor of research and enterprise Professor Nick Fisk said: “UNSW slipping marginally across the five broad subject areas points to the increased competitiveness among the top 50.

“These subject rankings are heavily dependent on citations, with up to 60 per cent in some disciplines, and it will be interesting to see future trends given the renewed focus now on impact over publications.” 

Other Australian universities ranked are: 

61st: University of Technology Sydney

101-150th: Griffith University

101-150th: Macquarie University

101-150th: Queensland University of Technology

101-150th: The University of Adelaide

101-150th: The University of Western Australia

101-150th: University of Wollongong

251-300th: Bond University

251-300th: Curtin University

251-300th: University of Tasmania

301-320th: Deakin University

301-320th: RMIT University

301-320th: University of South Australia

301-320th: Western Sydney University 

Six of the universities have also received a QS “five-star ranking”, which takes a detailed look at an institution and enables students to identify which university is the best in the specific topics that they care about, like program strength, graduate employability, social responsibility and inclusiveness. 

In a change up from the 2020 results, UNSW, Macquarie University, the University of Adelaide, Curtin University and La Trobe University did not make the list.

They are:

•     University of Technology Sydney
•     University of Wollongong
•     Bond University
•     RMIT University
•     University of South Australia
•     Western Sydney University