Australian Universities ranking delves delves deeper into key global performance issues

The all-encompassing student portal Australian Universities is a multifaceted and dynamic handbook to all matters related to higher education in Australia. An online guide to the entire student journey – from application to graduation, and everything in-between – prospective scholars can find an alphabetical list of Universities in Australia, a state-based search, information on numerous scholarships offered by universities, colleges, governments, private organisations and benefactors, tips on how to choose the best distance learning platform, and many other nuggets of essential information. This indispensible tool covers pedagogic and academic information ranging from course guides to tips on quantifying university credits, and all of this from foundation to postgraduate level.

One section of the site also helpfully charts annual updates on university rankings; so shrewd students can interpret the data relating to Australia and compare the findings with those of the other leading tables. The web portal charts the big three global performance studies: US News Best Global Universities Rankings, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE), and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University China Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU SHJT).

US News, often criticized for its fluctuating methodology and uncertain metrics, has recently branched out of its academic homeland to rank the world’s top 500 university institutions. With 19 Australian universities in the US News top 500, it was no surprise to many that the University of Melbourne took the top spot, as it has with the other two of the big three global rankings. Ranked 32 overall, Melbourne was joined by another five universities to make it into the world’s top 100:

This year’s THE Rankings saw Australian universities fare slightly worse than their performance in the US News Rankings. Although the University of Sydney leapt twelve spots to achieve 60^th place in the global table, it still means they are 15 places short of their position in the US News rankings But by moving into the top 200, the University of Adelaide has added to the total of Australian institutions in the top 200, bringing the number to 8, with new arrivals to the top 400 appearing in the guise of the much-feted Curtin University and the University of Western Sydney. But the result is better than last year’s THE Rankings, which saw Australian universities unsteady on their feet on the international playing field.

Finally, the 2014 ARWU SHJT Ranking saw the University of Melbourne surging 10 places into the top 50, keeping the total at a steady 7 institutions featuring in the global top 150: