**Australian Universities See Mixed Results in Global Rankings** The University of Melbourne has maintained its status as the top university in Australia for the 16th consecutive year, ranking 37th globally in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings. This marks a two-place improvement from last year. The University of Sydney also saw a significant rise, moving up eight spots to joint 53rd. In total, 37 Australian universities were ranked, with 12 improving their positions. Notably, Macquarie University, Charles Sturt University, and the University of Notre Dame achieved their best-ever rankings. The University of Queensland, however, fell three places to 80th, while the University of Western Australia dropped from 149th to 153rd. The rankings assess over 3,000 research universities based on 19 million research papers and 1.5 million votes in an academic reputation survey. The University of Melbourne's rise is attributed to improvements in its teaching and research reputation. Adelaide University made its debut in the rankings at joint 176th, following a merger with the University of South Australia. The rankings report indicated that Australia's average score improved due to advancements in 15 of the 18 metrics evaluated. The top two universities globally remained unchanged, with Oxford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) leading the list. All top 10 universities are located in either the United States or the United Kingdom, with ETH Zurich in Switzerland being the highest-ranked institution outside these countries at 11th. Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer, noted a significant shift in research and higher education excellence from Western institutions to those in the East, particularly China. He emphasized that Australia is in a unique position to capitalize on these changes, especially as international student numbers rebound post-COVID. The Australian government has set a cap of 295,000 international students for 2026, reflecting a 9% increase aimed at sustainable growth. International education contributed $51 billion to the Australian economy in 2023/24. **Top 10 Ranked Australian Universities:** 1. University of Melbourne - 37th, up two places 2. University of Sydney - equal 53rd, up eight places 3. Monash University - equal 58th, unchanged 4. Australian National University - equal 73rd, unchanged 5. UNSW Sydney - 79th, up four places 6. University of Queensland - 80th, down three places 7. University of Technology Sydney - equal 145th, up nine places 8. University of Western Australia - 153rd, down four places 9. Macquarie University - equal 166th, up 12 places 10. Adelaide University - equal 176th, new entry