Key takeaways
- QS 2027 (18 June 2026): UNSW is Australia’s first at 19th, then Melbourne 22, Sydney 28, ANU 29, Monash 31 and Queensland 40, with nine universities in the top 100.
- THE 2026 (9 October 2025): Melbourne 37, Sydney 53, Monash 58, six universities in the top 100 and ten in the top 200; the next edition usually appears in October.
- Each ranking has its own indicators: UNSW is first in QS and fifth in THE, and Melbourne the reverse.
- The Pioneers track covers the top 30 and has no Australian university on its 2026–2027 list; the Emdad and R&D tracks cover the top 200 and include Australian universities by field.
- The Ministry publishes its own guidance manual with lists per field; rely on the Ministry’s list, not the overall QS rank.
- Teaching assistant and lecturer scholarships require a university ranked in Shanghai, QS, THE or U.S. News and recommended by the Ministry.
In this article
The latest QS World University Rankings (2027 edition, released 18 June 2026) placed nine Australian universities in the world’s top 100, led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) at 19th, according to ABC News. In the Times Higher Education ranking (2026 edition), the University of Melbourne led at 37th, with six Australian universities in the top 100 and ten in the top 200, according to Study Australia.
Australian university rankings in QS 2027
The QS World University Rankings 2027 came out on 18 June 2026. It was the first time UNSW has topped Australia, and it was the only Australian university in the world’s top 20 among 1,504 ranked institutions, according to the UNSW announcement.
| Rank in Australia | University | QS 2027 world rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNSW Sydney | 19 | ABC News |
| 2 | University of Melbourne | 22 | ABC News |
| 3 | University of Sydney | 28 | ABC News |
| 4 | Australian National University (ANU) | 29 | ANU |
| 5 | Monash University | 31 | ABC News |
| 6 | University of Queensland | 40 | ABC News |
| 7 | University of Western Australia (UWA) | 77 | ABC News |
| 8 | Adelaide University | 79 | ABC News |
| 9 | University of Technology Sydney (UTS) | 87 | ABC News |
| 10 | RMIT University | =119 | RMIT |
Outside the top 100, RMIT reached its highest position in 20 years according to its announcement, and Swinburne lists 291st on its own site. Per Study Australia (22 June 2026), 27 Australian universities sit in the top 500 and 35 in the top 1000, and all Group of Eight (Go8) universities are in the top 80 with six in the top 40, according to the Go8 media release. For the remaining universities, see the official QS list.
Australian university rankings in Times Higher Education
The THE World University Rankings 2026 edition was published on 9 October 2025 and is the latest as at September 2026; the next edition usually appears in October, so check the THE site before relying on the figures.
| University | THE 2026 world rank | Source |
|---|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | 37 | THE |
| University of Sydney | 53 | THE |
| Monash University | 58 | THE |
| Australian National University | 73 | THE |
| UNSW Sydney | 79 | THE |
| University of Queensland | 80 | THE |
| University of Technology Sydney | =145 | THE |
| University of Western Australia | 153 | THE |
| Macquarie University | =166 | THE |
| Adelaide University (post-merger) | =176 | THE |
| Deakin, QUT, Wollongong | 201–250 | THE |
| Curtin, Griffith, La Trobe, RMIT, Swinburne, Newcastle, Tasmania | 251–300 | THE |
| Flinders, Western Sydney | 301–350 | THE |
Note the difference between the two systems: UNSW is first in QS and fifth in THE, while Melbourne is first in THE and second in QS. Each ranking has its own indicators and weights, which matters when you read a "top 200" condition in a scholarship program.
What do the rankings mean for the King Salman Scholarship Program?
The Ministry of Education describes the King Salman Scholarship Program (برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث) as a scholarship to the world’s best institutions according to global rankings, with four tracks published on its site, each with a different ceiling:
- Pioneers track (مسار الرواد): the world’s top 30 institutions, per the tracks page, requiring a final, unconditional offer from a university on the program’s list.
- Emdad track (مسار إمداد): the top 200 institutions in fields of high labour-market demand, for bachelor’s and master’s degrees studied on campus, per the track page.
- Research and Development track (مسار البحث والتطوير): the top 200 institutions in priority fields, per the same site.
- Waed track (مسار واعد): for rehabilitation and capacity building in promising sectors.
Crucially, the Ministry does not leave "top 200" to your interpretation; it publishes its own guidance manual of university lists by field for the 2026–2027 academic year with its own order for each field. In that manual:
- The Pioneers list (30 universities) contains no Australian university in the 2026–2027 edition; Australia appears in the Emdad and Research and Development tracks.
- Australian universities appear in the field lists in an order that changes from field to field: in Information and Communication Technologies under the Research and Development track, the University of Sydney sits at position 36, Monash 44, Melbourne 47, ANU 49 and UNSW 51, and in Agriculture and Veterinary, Queensland sits at 5 and Melbourne at 8, per the same manual.
The practical lesson: do not ask "is my university in the QS top 200?" but "are my university and my field on the Ministry’s list for this track this year?". The list changes annually, so use the version published on the program site and the Safeer platform. Conditions and application details are in our guide to the Pioneers track and our guide to all scholarship programs.
What about the Excellence track?
The Excellence track (مسار التميز) appears among the tracks in the Ministry’s scholarship application e-service, and the scholarship services page describes it as having 1,000 seats a year, with 7 seats per field per university and a maximum of 30 per university and 50 per field, as at September 2026. The most recent opening announcement was reported by Sabq on 17 November 2022 for the third edition. Check its current status and university list on Safeer before building your plan around it.
Do rankings matter for teaching assistant and lecturer scholarships?
Yes. The executive rules of the scholarship and training regulation for university staff, as published by, require an offer from an academically recognised university ranked in the approved systems: the Shanghai Ranking, QS, Times Higher Education and U.S. News, and set an age limit of 30 for teaching assistants and 35 for lecturers. The support unit for teaching assistants and lecturers at points to these ranking sites for searching by field. The rank cut-off differs from one Saudi university to another and from field to field, so check your own university’s policy.
In every case, the university must be among those recommended by the Ministry, which you can verify by country, university, field and degree through the recommended universities inquiry service.
How to use rankings when choosing your university
- Decide which track you will apply to, then open the Ministry’s manual for the current year and look for your field, not the overall rank.
- Shortlist three Australian universities on the Ministry’s list for your field, and compare them by subject ranking in QS or THE if you wish, not by overall rank alone.
- Verify the university is recommended by the Ministry through the inquiry service.
- Read the program’s own admission conditions: average, English and background; a rank does not replace meeting them.
- Secure a final, unconditional offer, then apply on Safeer within the track’s dates.
KD International describes itself as the first intermediary between Saudi students and Australian universities, hosted the Australian Universities Forum in Riyadh in 2023 and 2024 with the Australian Ambassador in attendance, and has held meetings with representatives of Monash, Macquarie, Wollongong, Sydney and Torrens. On 6 August 2023 it posted on X a list of Australian universities in the top 200 for 2024, a list whose figures have since changed. We help you match your field against the Ministry’s lists and suitable Australian universities; the decision rests with the university and the Ministry.
Your next step: send us your field, the degree you want and the track you are targeting through the application form, or contact us to review the Australian universities on the Ministry’s list for your field together.
Frequently asked questions
The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) at 19th in the world, the first time it has topped Australia, followed by Melbourne 22, Sydney 28, the Australian National University 29, Monash 31 and Queensland 40. The ranking was released on 18 June 2026.
Nine in QS 2027: UNSW, Melbourne, Sydney, ANU, Monash, Queensland, Western Australia, Adelaide and UTS. In THE 2026, six are in the top 100 and ten in the top 200.
In the 2026 edition published 9 October 2025: Melbourne 37, Sydney 53, Monash 58, ANU 73, UNSW 79, Queensland 80, then UTS =145, Western Australia 153, Macquarie =166 and Adelaide University =176. The next edition usually appears in October.
The Emdad and Research and Development tracks target the top 200, and the Ministry of Education publishes a guidance manual with its own lists per field, in which the major Australian universities appear in an order that varies by field. The Pioneers track covers the top 30, and its 2026–2027 list has no Australian university.
The Ministry describes the program as a scholarship to the best institutions according to global rankings, but it publishes its own lists in the guidance manual for each track and field. Use the Ministry’s current-year list on the program site and Safeer, not the overall QS or THE rank alone.
The executive rules of the university staff scholarship regulation require a recognised university ranked in the Shanghai Ranking, QS, Times Higher Education or U.S. News, with an age limit of 30 for teaching assistants and 35 for lecturers. The rank cut-off varies between Saudi universities and fields.
Because each ranking uses different indicators and weights; that is why UNSW is first in QS 2027 and fifth in THE 2026, while Melbourne is first in THE and second in QS. When comparing two universities for your field, look at the subject ranking and the Ministry’s list rather than the overall number alone.
Official sources
- Australian universities make ‘historic’ global rankings as report reveals staff discontent — ABC News
- UNSW claims Australia’s top spot for the first time in preeminent world university rankings — UNSW Sydney
- Australia excels again in QS World University Rankings 2027 — Study Australia (Australian Government)
- Go8 achieves historic results in QS World University Rankings 2027 — Group of Eight
- ANU climbs in QS World University Rankings — Australian National University
- RMIT achieves its best result in 20 years in QS World University Rankings — RMIT University
- Best universities in Australia 2026 — Times Higher Education
- World University Rankings 2026: Australia bucks trend of decline — Times Higher Education
- Australia shines again in Times World University Rankings 2026 — Study Australia (Australian Government)
- الدليل الاسترشادي لقوائم الجامعات حسب المجالات للعام الأكاديمي 2026–2027 — وزارة التعليم السعودية – برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث
- المسارات – برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث — وزارة التعليم السعودية
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Last updated: 14 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.
