39 Best universities for Oceanography in Australia

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Australia ranked based on their research performance in Oceanography. A graph of 7.47M citations received by 179K academic papers made by 39 universities in Australia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Oceanography

#1 in Oceania

#33 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

2. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Oceanography

#2 in Oceania

#39 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 63,864
Founded: 1949

3. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Oceanography

#3 in Oceania

#56 in the World

Founded: 1970

4. Australian National University

Australia | Canberra

For Oceanography

#4 in Oceania

#60 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

5. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Oceanography

#5 in Oceania

#61 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Enrollment: 77,162
Founded: 1853

6. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Oceanography

#6 in Oceania

#72 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

7. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Oceanography

#7 in Oceania

#80 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

8. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Oceanography

#8 in Oceania

#96 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Enrollment: 33,879
Founded: 1890

9. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Oceanography

#9 in Oceania

#106 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 1958

10. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Oceanography

#10 in Oceania

#138 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

11. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Oceanography

#12 in Oceania

#185 in the World

Founded: 1971

12. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Oceanography

#14 in Oceania

#218 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

13. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Oceanography

#15 in Oceania

#230 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

14. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Oceanography

#16 in Oceania

#253 in the World

Founded: 1965

15. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Oceanography

#17 in Oceania

#257 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Enrollment: 58,607
Founded: 1966

16. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Oceanography

#20 in Oceania

#338 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

17. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Oceanography

#21 in Oceania

#344 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

18. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Oceanography

#22 in Oceania

#370 in the World

Founded: 1887

19. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Oceanography

#23 in Oceania

#419 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

20. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Oceanography

#24 in Oceania

#446 in the World

Founded: 1966

21. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Oceanography

#25 in Oceania

#506 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

22. Southern Cross University

Australia | Lismore

For Oceanography

#27 in Oceania

#544 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1994

23. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Oceanography

#28 in Oceania

#562 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

24. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Oceanography

#30 in Oceania

#588 in the World

Founded: 1991

25. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Oceanography

#31 in Oceania

#602 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

26. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Oceanography

#32 in Oceania

#665 in the World

Founded: 1908

27. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Oceanography

#33 in Oceania

#677 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

28. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Oceanography

#34 in Oceania

#761 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Enrollment: 17,576
Founded: 1967

29. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Oceanography

#35 in Oceania

#833 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1967

30. Edith Cowan University

Australia | Joondalup

For Oceanography

#36 in Oceania

#925 in the World

Founded: 1991

31. Charles Darwin University

Australia | Darwin

For Oceanography

#37 in Oceania

#948 in the World

Founded: 1989

32. University of the Sunshine Coast

Australia | Sippy Downs

For Oceanography

#38 in Oceania

#993 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Founded: 1994

33. Central Queensland University

Australia | North Rockhampton

For Oceanography

#39 in Oceania

#1022 in the World

Founded: 1967

34. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Oceanography

#41 in Oceania

#1035 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

35. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Oceanography

#42 in Oceania

#1127 in the World

Founded: 1990

36. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Oceanography

#45 in Oceania

#1829 in the World

Founded: 1870

37. Australian Catholic University

Australia | North Sydney

For Oceanography

#46 in Oceania

#2648 in the World

Founded: 1991

38. Bond University

Australia | Gold Coast

For Oceanography

#47 in Oceania

#2763 in the World

Founded: 1987

39. University of Notre Dame Australia

Australia | Fremantle

For Oceanography

#51 in Oceania

#3658 in the World

Enrollment: 11,579
Founded: 1989

The best cities to study Oceanography in Australia based on the number of universities and their ranks are St Lucia, Sydney, Townsville, and Canberra.