Universities in Sydney, Australia
- Rankings & Reviews -

For business studies see our separate ranking of business schools in Sydney, Australia

Latest ranking updates related to universities in Sydney
  • 06 Mar, 2024: Publication of Scimago Institutions Rankings. The University of Sydney with highest ranking among universities in Sydney ranked #35.
  • 25 Jan, 2024: THE World’s Most International Universities updated with The University of Sydney in position 38.
  • 19 Dec, 2023: Urap published most recent results of URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance. Includes 2 universities from Sydney.
  • 15 Dec, 2023: Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments - ShanghaiRanking (Sport Science) updated with The University of Sydney in position 28.

Being one of the biggest student cities in the world and the largest city in Australia, holding five of the highest-ranked universities in the world, Sydney is famous for being a vibrant city with endless activities to get up to, and a dynamic job market to take advantage of. Despite Sydney being one of the most expensive cities in Australia, it often ranks in the top 10 most liveable cities in the world according to various popular ranking systems.


Rankings of universities in Sydney, Australia 2024

Student satisfaction: 4.3 / 5.0 (based on 994 student ratings)
Card image

  • #3 
  • #60 
THE World University Rankings
[Published 27 September, 2023]
  • #3 
  • #19 
QS World University Rankings
[Published 27 June, 2023]
  • #2 
  • #35 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
Show 23 more rankings of The University of Sydney and subject specific rankings for 13 subjects

Student satisfaction: 4.3 / 5.0 (based on 454 student ratings)
  • #10 
  • #180 
THE World University Rankings
[Published 27 September, 2023]
  • #10 
  • #130 
QS World University Rankings
[Published 27 June, 2023]
  • #15 
  • #363 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
Show 19 more rankings of Macquarie University and subject specific rankings for 11 subjects

#3
Australia

Fashion Design Studio - TAFE



#4
Australia

Macquarie Bank, LTD

Student satisfaction: 4.0 / 5.0 (based on 67 student ratings)

Highest subject rankings of universities in Sydney

Sociology URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#8 
The University of Sydney
Education URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#15 
The University of Sydney
Law QS World University Rankings By Subject
#16 
The University of Sydney
Medicine QS World University Rankings By Subject
#25 
The University of Sydney
Linguistics QS World University Rankings By Subject
#27 
Macquarie University
Computer Science NTU Rankings by Subject
#32 
The University of Sydney
Finance GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
#37 
The University of Sydney
Architecture URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#37 
The University of Sydney
Civil Engineering NTU Rankings by Subject
#40 
The University of Sydney
Geology QS World University Rankings By Subject
#49 
The University of Sydney

Student Opinions About Studying in Sydney

“Sydney has some of the best universities in the world, which is quite motivating if you’re looking to do well in academics. The locals here are usually keen to chat, so it’s easy to meet people! There’s a lot of traffic though so if you want to go places I suggest you choose public transport.”

“The weather here is reliably warm and it allows you to get out and enjoy yourself. You’ll never get bored in Sydney because you’ll always find something to do, with Bondi Beach being one of my absolute favorite places to spend my time. Listen to the lifeguards there because it can be pretty dangerous! The city is pretty expensive so it would be wise to find work as soon as possible.”

Sydney Key Facts for International Students

PROS

  • Sydney is a very diverse city with people from a wide range of ethnicities, and a very interesting place to live, where it's easy for international students to make friends.

  • Universities in Sydney offer Foundation Studies and English Programs to ease the process of settling in for international students new to their surroundings.

  • Students often mention that Sydney has many activities to offer, from famous attractions, to the beach, as well as a thriving nightlife scene.

CONS

  • Housing prices in Sydney are quite expensive which makes it difficult for students to find a place to live in that isn’t too far away from the center.

    • Sydney, due to its popularity and population, is a very crowded city with most public areas full of people and noise.

2 out of 4 Universities in Sydney Ranked in at least one ranking

27 Different Rankings list Universities in Sydney (21 institution and 6 subject rankings)

29 Global Rankings rank Universities in Sydney Among TOP 200

Population: 4628000

Time: GMT +10

District/province: New South Wales,

Living costs for students in Sydney:

* 100 = prices in London

  • Living costs without accommodation 95* (5% cheaper than London)
  • All costs including accommodation 91* (9% cheaper than London)
  • Meals (grocery & lower cost restaurants) 95* (5% cheaper than London)
  • Average Big Mac price 7.21 AU$
  • Plug Type I
    • Residential voltage: 230 V
    • Frequency: 50 Hz

Map with location of universities in Sydney

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FAQ

The University of Sydney ranks #1 in Sydney in our meta ranking composed of 112 university rankings.

Among all universities in Sydney The University of Sydney is listed in the largest number of rankings. See all 35 rankings where The University of Sydney is listed.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Social Studies & Humanities (Sociology). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Education (Education). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Law (Law). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Medicine & Health (Medicine). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

Macquarie University is ranked best in Sydney for Languages & Literature (Linguistics). See all rankings for the Macquarie University.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Computer Science (Computer Science). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Business (Finance). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Architecture, Building & Planning (Architecture). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Engineering (Civil Engineering). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Natural Sciences (Geology). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Agriculture (Agriculture). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Journalism & Media Studies (Journalism). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

The University of Sydney is ranked best in Sydney for Mathematics (Mathematics). See all rankings for the The University of Sydney.

Ranking publishers

4icu

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British Quacquarelli Symonds, UK

Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:

Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%

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Criteria used in ranking -QS Employability Rankings:

Employer reputation 30% Alumni outcomes 25% Partnerships with Employers per Faculty 25% Employer/Student Connections 10% Graduate employment rate 10%

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CWUR Center for World University Rankings

Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:

Research Performance: 40%

  • Research Output: 10%
  • High-Quality Publications: 10%
  • Influence: 10%
  • Citations: 10%

Quality of Education: 25%

Alumni Employment: 25%

Quality of Faculty: 10%

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Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands

Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:

Scientific Impact Number of Publications Collaboration Open Access Gender Diversity

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NTU ranking

Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:

Research Productivity: 25%

  • # Articles last 11 years: 10%
  • # Articles current year: 15%

Research Impact: 35%

  • # Citations last 11 years: 15%
  • # Citations last 2 years: 10%
  • Average # citations last 11 years: 10%

Research Excellence: 40%

  • H-index last 2 years: 10%
  • # Highly cited papers last 11 years: 15%
  • # Articles current year in high-impact journals: 15%

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Nature Index

Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index - Academic:

Article count (AC) Fractional count (FC) Weighted fractional count (WFC)

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RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia)

Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:

Teaching: 40%

  • Ratio Faculty/Student: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Doctoral Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Doctoral Degrees Awarded/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • World Teaching Reputation: 8%

Research: 40%

  • Citations per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • Doctoral Degrees per Accepted PhD: 8%
  • Normalized Citation Impact: 8%
  • Papers per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • World Research Reputation: 8%

International Diversity: 10%

  • International Faculty: 2%
  • International Students: 2%
  • International Co-Authored Papers: 2%
  • Reputation Outside Geographical Region: 2%
  • International Level: 2%

Financial Sustainability: 10%

  • Institutional Income per Faculty: 2%
  • Institutional Income per Student: 2%
  • Papers per Research Income: 2%
  • Research Income per Academic/Research Staff: 2%
  • Research Income per Institutional Income: 2%

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Criteria used in ranking -RUR Academic Rankings:

Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20% Citation per papers 20% Papers per academic and research staff 20% International research reputation 20% Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%

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Criteria used in ranking -RUR Reputation Ranking:

Teaching Reputation 50% Research Reputation 50%

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Scimago Institutions

Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:

Research 50% Innovation 30%
Societal 20%

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ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:

Quality of Education 10%

  • Alumni winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 10%

Quality of Faculty 40%

  • Staff winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 20%
  • Highly Cited Researchers 20%

Research Output 40%

  • Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
  • Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded & Social Science Citation Index 20%

Per Capita Performance 10%

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StuDocu

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THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:

30% Teaching (the Learning Environment)

  • Reputation survey: 15%
  • Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
  • Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25%
  • Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
  • Institutional income: 2.25%

30% Research (Volume, Income and Reputation)

  • Reputation survey: 18%
  • Research income: 6%
  • Research productivity: 6%

30% Citations (Research Influence)

7.5% International Outlook (Staff, Students and Research)

  • Proportion of international students: 2.5%
  • Proportion of international staff: 2.5%
  • International collaboration: 2.5%

2.5% Industry Income (Knowledge Transfer)"

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Criteria used in ranking -THE Global Employability University Ranking:

Employability (survey) 100%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE World Reputation Rankings:

Research Reputation 66,6% Teaching Reputation 33,3%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE World’s Most International Universities:

Proportion of international students 25% Proportion of international staff 25% Proportion of journal publications with one or more international co-authors 25% University’s international reputation 25%

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Thomson Reuters

Criteria used in ranking -Most Innovative Universities Asia Pacific:

Patent volume 11.11% Patent success 11.11% Global patents 11.11% Patent citations 11.11% Percent of patents cited/Patent citation impact 11.11% Patent to Article Citation Impact 11.11% Industry Article Citation Impact 11.11% Percent of Industry Collaborative Articles 11.11% Total Web of Science Core Collection Papers 11.11%

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Urap

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Us News

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Webometrics

Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:

Visibility 50% Excellence 35% Transparency 10% Presence 5%

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