39 Best universities for Astrophysics and Astronomy 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 Astrophysics and Astronomy. A graph of 6.18M citations received by 167K 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. Australian National University

Australia | Canberra

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1 in Oceania

#42 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

2. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#2 in Oceania

#59 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

3. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#3 in Oceania

#76 in the World

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

4. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#4 in Oceania

#85 in the World

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

5. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#5 in Oceania

#114 in the World

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

6. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#6 in Oceania

#138 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

7. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#7 in Oceania

#205 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

8. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#8 in Oceania

#227 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

9. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#9 in Oceania

#234 in the World

Founded: 1908

10. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#11 in Oceania

#292 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

11. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#12 in Oceania

#343 in the World

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

12. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#13 in Oceania

#360 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

13. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#16 in Oceania

#423 in the World

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

14. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#17 in Oceania

#464 in the World

Founded: 1965

15. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#19 in Oceania

#524 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

16. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#20 in Oceania

#525 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

17. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#21 in Oceania

#532 in the World

Founded: 1971

18. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#22 in Oceania

#540 in the World

Founded: 1991

19. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#23 in Oceania

#550 in the World

Founded: 1887

20. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#24 in Oceania

#567 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

21. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#26 in Oceania

#632 in the World

Founded: 1966

22. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#27 in Oceania

#655 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

23. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#28 in Oceania

#661 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

24. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#29 in Oceania

#772 in the World

Founded: 1970

25. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#30 in Oceania

#864 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1967

26. Edith Cowan University

Australia | Joondalup

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#33 in Oceania

#926 in the World

Founded: 1991

27. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#34 in Oceania

#1010 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

28. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#35 in Oceania

#1077 in the World

Founded: 1990

29. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#36 in Oceania

#1079 in the World

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

30. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#37 in Oceania

#1126 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

31. Central Queensland University

Australia | North Rockhampton

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#38 in Oceania

#1147 in the World

Founded: 1967

32. Australian Catholic University

Australia | North Sydney

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#39 in Oceania

#1349 in the World

Founded: 1991

33. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#40 in Oceania

#1513 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

34. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#41 in Oceania

#1622 in the World

Founded: 1870

35. Southern Cross University

Australia | Lismore

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#42 in Oceania

#1654 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1994

36. University of the Sunshine Coast

Australia | Sippy Downs

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#44 in Oceania

#1823 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Founded: 1994

37. Charles Darwin University

Australia | Darwin

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#45 in Oceania

#1952 in the World

Founded: 1989

38. Bond University

Australia | Gold Coast

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#46 in Oceania

#1962 in the World

Founded: 1987

39. University of Notre Dame Australia

Australia | Fremantle

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#48 in Oceania

#2949 in the World

Enrollment: 11,579
Founded: 1989

The best cities to study Astrophysics and Astronomy in Australia based on the number of universities and their ranks are Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, and Clayton.

Physics subfields in Australia

Acoustical Engineering39

Applied/Engineering Physics27

Astrobiology28

Atomic and Molecular physics29

Biophysics28

Condensed Matter Physics32

Optical Engineering39

Quantum and Particle physics39

Theoretical Physics31