What do university rankings mean—and do they matter in Australia?
The 2024 QS World University Rankings have just been released, and three Aussie universities have made it into the top 20. It begs the question though—are rankings something you should care about when choosing where to study? Let’s find out.
Every June, a British higher education company called Quacquarelli Symonds (or QS) ranks 1,500 universities all over the world to determine which institutions are regarded as the best of the best.
In the just released 2024 rankings, three Australian universities (the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney) have made it into the top 20 for the first time, joining the likes of Cambridge and Harvard. The Australian National University and the University of Queensland also made it into the top 50.
But what does this actually mean, you might be asking yourself? And is it important information for you to have when choosing a university course? To answer that, we’ll need to look at what the rankings are based on.
How are university rankings determined?
The QS World University Rankings evaluates universities against a few different factors—including academic reputation, employment outcomes and student-to-staff ratios. This year, it's also started judging how universities use sustainable practices, and how connected universities are in international research.
The final ranking is supposed to give you a picture of how a university scores on the things that matter most to students.
There are two other highly regarded rankings that you can look at as well—the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Their indicators are a little different, but can be equally relied upon.
What is the most respected university ranking system?
The QS World University Rankings places a lot of value on the student experience, making it the most widely read of the three systems, especially among undergraduates. It also ranks specific subjects across universities. That can be helpful if you want to know about the quality of teaching in a particular field, like psychology or education.
The ARWU and Times rankings pay more attention to the research capabilities of different universities (in fact, the student experience doesn't factor into the ARWU ranking at all). So if that’s important to you, then they may be worth a glance.
Are rankings important when you’re choosing a course?
Rankings are a great place to start when you’re doing your initial research on where to study. They can help you figure out which universities offer a good student experience, and which universities have better employment outcomes.
But rankings only tell you part of the story, and they shouldn’t be the only thing to influence your decision. It’s also important to look into the specific courses you’re interested in, because their strengths and weaknesses will vary so much. Who are the teaching staff? What is the course’s reputation like in the industry? What do recent graduates say about it? Are there work placement opportunities that excite you?
These are the things you can only learn from chatting with fellow students, university staff, and experts like Open Universities Australia’s student advisors.
Does university ranking matter to employers in Australia?
While rankings will help you decide on path forward, they don’t matter so much after you graduate.
Unlike in the US, where going to an Ivy League like Harvard gives you the ultimate leg-up in the workforce, Australian employers aren’t really interested in where you studied or how your university ranks. They care more about what you studied, and the skills and knowledge you can bring to their company.
Think of your university’s ranking as a guide for you—and not something that will be judged by a future employer.
Where can I learn more about Australian university rankings?
To find out more about the top ranked universities in Australia, it’s worth visiting the Good Universities Guide or the QILT website.
These trusted resources publish independent research on course engagement rates, student satisfaction rates, and graduate salaries (among other things).
You can also use Open Universities Australia to compare online courses offered by 27 different universities. We make it easier to look at course content, entry requirements, study fees, career opportunities and university rankings in one place—saving you valuable time on research.
Want to learn more about a particular university or course? Book a free one-on-one call with a student advisor.
