Australia’s top-ranked university now in world 50

The University of Melbourne, Australia’s top ranked university, has been ranked 44th in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities – the highest placing of an Australian university in this ranking.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis says the result is a major achievement for Australia.

“It is an important achievement to have a university ranking within the 50 best research universities in the world – it is a very prestigious group and we are delighted to be considered among them,” he says.

“This ranking demonstrates the quality and impact of the research being conducted by staff across the University, but importantly, it is also a reflection of the strength of our industry, community and government partnerships, collaborations and affiliations. It is only by working together, bringing together the best minds; that we are able to have a real impact on addressing the grand challenges our global community is facing.

“These rankings are a testament to those partnerships and their impact.”

This is the fourth successive year Melbourne has been ranked number one in Australia, lifting from 54th in the world last year. Since the rankings began in 2003 Melbourne has moved up 48 spots from 92, making it one of the fastest moving universities in the world in the top 100.

While international rankings are not the only measure of success for a university, they do help to attract the best researchers and research collaborators from around the world.

They are also closely scrutinised by international students who often elect to study at universities based on their position in various rankings. As well as contributing financially to the university sector international students have a significant impact on the overall economy of the country and help to make universities and the cities in which they stay more vibrant places.

These increases in rankings and reputation have helped attract new staff for Melbourne University from some of the world’s finest institutions including most recently, Oxford, Harvard, Caltech, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute.

The University has also seen a significant increase in the numbers of students coming to study at the University from outside Victoria increasing 75 per cent from 2010 to 2014.