List of universities in Australia
There are 44 universities in Australia out of which 39 are public universities and 5 private universities. The Commonwealth Higher [Education Support Act 2003] sets out three groups of Australian higher education providers: universities, other self-accrediting higher education institutions and state and territory accredited higher education institutions.
For admissions to universities, those students who have completed Australian state curricula are granted a state-specific Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. All Australian universities use the ATAR based "selection rank" as one of their methods of admission; universities also use past study, work experience and other considerations in granting admission. The ATAR provides an indication of the overall position of the student in relation to the student body for that year across the state. The ATAR is used by state-specific centralised admission centres for admission into university. The following bodies allocate ATAR based selection ranks and admission for the tertiary institutions in their respective states:
- Universities Admissions Centre in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, with a separate website for Tasmania
- South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre in South Australia and the Northern Territory
- Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre in Victoria
- Tertiary Institutions Service Centre in Western Australia
- Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre in Queensland
Universities in Australia
In addition to the following universities, the Australian campus of Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III College operated in the city of Adelaide in South Australia between 2006 and 2022. University College London also operated an Australian campus in Adelaide between 2009 and 2017. The newest Australian institution to receive university status is the Australian University of Theology in 2025.| University | Type | Campus | State/ Territory | Estab. | University status | Times rank | ARWU rank | QS rank | US News rank | CWTS rank |
| Adelaide University | Public | Adelaide, Roseworthy, Mount Gambier, Whyalla | ![]() National university groups
|
