If things were beginning to sound quiet on the Melbourne-Sydney rivalry front, prepare for some noise. The Academic Ranking of World Universities for 2024 (ARWU) has been published, and in turn the best university in Australia has been revealed. Drumroll, please...
The University of Melbourne has again been crowned Australia's best and brightest institute of higher education, coming in hot at number 37 worldwide. It's consistently named as the country's best, and this latest list concurs with Times Higher Education's rankings and the QS World University rankings (where Melbourne Uni came 13th). The second Australian university to land a spot on the ARWU is the University of Queensland at 63rd, with the University of Sydney coming in at a rather cooler third place with a global standing of 74th.
How does the ARWU decide who goes where? Well, it's down to several factors, including the number of alumni who have won Nobel Prizes, publications in top-tier journals and the per capita academic output of the institution in its ranking.
Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne began as a mere cluster of buildings in a large park on the city's fringe, with only four professors. Ever since, it has blossomed into not only Australia's best but also one of the leading universities in the world thanks to its quality of teaching, emphasis on research and wide-ranging academic programs.
The university is also renowned for its commitment to groundbreaking research, including the development of the cochlear implant. As a leader in fostering world-class medical and technical research, it continues attracting international students interested in making a difference (and wanting to dive head-first into all Melbourne has to offer).
If you're wondering who claimed the top spot, it was none other than the prestigious marvel of Harvard University in the USA. Looking at the list, American universities are a force to be reckoned with, claiming a whopping eight of the top ten spots – the exceptions being the UK's University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
The ten best universities in the world are:
- Harvard University
- Stanford University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Cambridge
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Oxford
- Princeton University
- Columbia University
- California Institute of Technology
- University of Chicago
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.