Australian universities have dropped in quality, according to the QS World Universities Rankings 2026.
The QS World Universities Rankings 2026 assesses more than 1,500 institutions and gives them a score out of 100.
This year, only two Australian universities placed in the top 20 compared to three in last year’s rankings.
The University of Sydney dropped out of the top 20, falling from 18th to 25th.
Both the University of Melbourne and University of New South Wales only narrowly scraped into the top 20 placing 19th and 20th respectively. The universities also dropped from last year’s rankings with the University of Melbourne dropping five places and the University of New South Wales slipping one place.
Of the 36 Australian universities ranked, 69% declined in the results.
RMIT director of strategic insights and member of the rankings advisory board, Angel Calderon said the rankings were impacted by federal government discussions to limit international students and financial constraints.
“Over the past five years, we have seen the reputation of Australian universities gradually decreasing,” he told the Guardian.
“Organisational restructuring, staff movements, operational deficits and any kind of disruption are likely to influence institutional perceptions elsewhere.”
Despite falling in the rankings, Australia ranked fifth globally for the proportion of universities ranked in the top 10, with 25% making the list.
The U.S. continued to perform highest among the traditional big four study destinations, including Australia, the U.K. and Canada. This is despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s war on education.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was the top-ranked university on the list with a perfect score of 100 and eight other U.S. universities placed in the top 20.
