39 Best universities for Philosophy 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 Philosophy. A graph of 17.9M citations received by 650K 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 Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Philosophy

#61 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

2. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Philosophy

#62 in the World

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

3. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Philosophy

#89 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

4. Australian National University

Australia | Canberra

For Philosophy

#95 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

5. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Philosophy

#98 in the World

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

6. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Philosophy

#105 in the World

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

7. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Philosophy

#263 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

8. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Philosophy

#289 in the World

Founded: 1971

9. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Philosophy

#10 in Oceania

#296 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

10. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Philosophy

#12 in Oceania

#330 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

11. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Philosophy

#13 in Oceania

#348 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

12. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Philosophy

#14 in Oceania

#370 in the World

Founded: 1965

13. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Philosophy

#15 in Oceania

#394 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

14. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Philosophy

#17 in Oceania

#403 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

15. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Philosophy

#18 in Oceania

#468 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

16. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Philosophy

#19 in Oceania

#475 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

17. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Philosophy

#20 in Oceania

#503 in the World

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

18. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Philosophy

#21 in Oceania

#558 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

19. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Philosophy

#22 in Oceania

#574 in the World

Founded: 1966

20. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Philosophy

#23 in Oceania

#578 in the World

Founded: 1887

21. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Philosophy

#24 in Oceania

#606 in the World

Founded: 1991

22. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Philosophy

#27 in Oceania

#685 in the World

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

23. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Philosophy

#29 in Oceania

#868 in the World

Founded: 1908

24. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Philosophy

#30 in Oceania

#871 in the World

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

25. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Philosophy

#31 in Oceania

#919 in the World

Founded: 1970

26. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Philosophy

#33 in Oceania

#949 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

27. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Philosophy

#34 in Oceania

#987 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

28. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Philosophy

#35 in Oceania

#999 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

29. Australian Catholic University

Australia | North Sydney

For Philosophy

#36 in Oceania

#1005 in the World

Founded: 1991

30. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Philosophy

#37 in Oceania

#1067 in the World

Founded: 1990

31. Edith Cowan University

Australia | Joondalup

For Philosophy

#38 in Oceania

#1077 in the World

Founded: 1991

32. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Philosophy

#39 in Oceania

#1284 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1967

33. Central Queensland University

Australia | North Rockhampton

For Philosophy

#40 in Oceania

#1385 in the World

Founded: 1967

34. Bond University

Australia | Gold Coast

For Philosophy

#41 in Oceania

#1541 in the World

Founded: 1987

35. Southern Cross University

Australia | Lismore

For Philosophy

#42 in Oceania

#1631 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1994

36. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Philosophy

#43 in Oceania

#1633 in the World

Founded: 1870

37. University of the Sunshine Coast

Australia | Sippy Downs

For Philosophy

#44 in Oceania

#1812 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Founded: 1994

38. Charles Darwin University

Australia | Darwin

For Philosophy

#45 in Oceania

#1880 in the World

Founded: 1989

39. University of Notre Dame Australia

Australia | Fremantle

For Philosophy

#47 in Oceania

#2515 in the World

Enrollment: 11,579
Founded: 1989

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

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Australia

Broadcast Journalism34

Classics and Ancient History39

Communications and Public Relations39

Criminology and Criminal Justice39

Early Childhood Education38

Education Majors39

Forensic Science32

Gender Studies39

Human Rights Law36

Intellectual Property and Patent Law34

International Law31

International Relations and Diplomacy30

Journalism and Digital Media38

Law Enforcement36

Library and Information science39

Media Studies39

Military science36

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution38

Occupational Safety and Health38

Political Economy37

Political Science39

Public Policy / Administration39

Radio and Television broadcasting32

Special Education36

Sports / Exercise science38

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies39

Urban and Regional planning36