This year marks the 20th year of the analysis of the top-performing universities around the world and features 1,500 institutions.

The Australian universities that made the top 100 are:

• The University of Melbourne – 14, up from 33 in 2023
• The University of NSW (UNSW) – equal 19, up from 45 in 2023
• The University of Sydney – equal 19, up from 41 in 2023
• Australian National University – 34, down from 30 in 2023
• Monash University – 42, up from 57 in 2023
• The University of Queensland – 43, up from 50 in 2023
• The University of Western Australia – 72, up from 90 in 2023
• The University of Adelaide – 89, up from 109 in 2023
• University of Technology Sydney – 90, up from 137 in 2023

• The University of Melbourne – 11, up from 12 the previous year
• The University of NSW (UNSW) – 13, up from 14 the previous year
• The University of Sydney – 16, the same place as the previous year
• Australian National University – 24, down from 23 the previous year

“The QS World University Rankings are some of the most comprehensive rankings of their kind, and this year, the most far-reaching change to their methodology has been made by introducing three new metrics to reflect shifts in the sector and changing priorities of students. The University of Sydney ranked first in Australia and seventh in the world in the newly created sustainability category,” a spokesperson told Lawyers Weekly.

“The 2024 QS World University Rankings feature 1,500 universities from 104 different higher education systems. These rankings are based on the analysis of over 17.5 million academic papers and insights from more than 240,000 academic faculty members and employers.

“The University of Sydney also performed strongly in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject, published in March this year, with seven disciplines ranked in the global top 20 and 30 in the top 50. Law continued to place in the world’s top 20, ranking 16th in the world, performing particularly well on academic reputation and citations per paper, and maintaining its position from the previous year.”

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A spokesperson from ANU said that it is a “great result” to have nine universities across the country place in the top 100 worldwide.

“It is a remarkable achievement of the Australian university sector, under very trying conditions, to have achieved such worldwide prominence. We recognise and celebrate every university doing great work. Together, we make Australia stronger and more competitive,” a spokesperson said.

“ANU is proud that we continue to be Australia’s most research-intensive university, and it’s only national university.”

Commenting on the law school’s placement, UNSW Associate Professor Melanie Schwartz, deputy dean (education), said that “it is rewarding to see that UNSW’s faculty of law and justice has been widely recognised for its outstanding performance, reflected in our rise in these international rankings”.

“These rankings demonstrate strong external endorsement of the faculty’s achievements in educational excellence, global research and employer reputation. Our successes are built on the excellence of our staff, and we are proud of our sustained high performance in the QS rankings, just one indicator of our success.

“Working across three schools, our academics are engaged in research and teaching that set the benchmark for innovative education worldwide. Our teachers are former judges, industry professionals, international scholars and award-winning lecturers,” she said.

“We also strive to offer high-quality, online learning experiences for our students, including innovative, rich, dynamic, multimedia content. With a focus on employability, we prioritise experiential learning by offering a wide range of clinic and internship opportunities to our students. Our dedicated in-faculty careers service provides tailored, individual guidance for students approaching the end of their studies.”

Lawyers Weekly also reached out to Melbourne University for a statement on their ranking, but they did not respond in time for publication.