39 Best universities for Physics in Australia

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Australia ranked based on their research performance in Physics. A graph of 27.3M citations received by 986K 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 New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Physics

#69 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1949

2. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Physics

#79 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

3. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Physics

#83 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

4. Australian National University

Australia | Canberra

For Physics

#84 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

5. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Physics

#99 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Enrollment: 49,000
Founded: 1853

6. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Physics

#125 in the World

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

7. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Physics

#250 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

8. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Physics

#252 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

9. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Physics

#10 in Oceania

#331 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

10. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Physics

#11 in Oceania

#333 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

11. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Physics

#12 in Oceania

#384 in the World

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

12. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Physics

#13 in Oceania

#395 in the World

Founded: 1965

13. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Physics

#14 in Oceania

#445 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

14. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Physics

#15 in Oceania

#465 in the World

Founded: 1887

15. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Physics

#16 in Oceania

#500 in the World

Founded: 1971

16. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Physics

#17 in Oceania

#504 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

17. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Physics

#19 in Oceania

#534 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

18. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Physics

#20 in Oceania

#562 in the World

Founded: 1908

19. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Physics

#22 in Oceania

#592 in the World

Founded: 1991

20. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Physics

#23 in Oceania

#633 in the World

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

21. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Physics

#25 in Oceania

#697 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

22. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Physics

#26 in Oceania

#707 in the World

Founded: 1966

23. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Physics

#28 in Oceania

#879 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

24. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Physics

#29 in Oceania

#923 in the World

Founded: 1970

25. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Physics

#31 in Oceania

#1102 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

26. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Physics

#32 in Oceania

#1180 in the World

Founded: 1990

27. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Physics

#33 in Oceania

#1194 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

28. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Physics

#34 in Oceania

#1197 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 18,388
Founded: 1967

29. Edith Cowan University

Australia | Joondalup

For Physics

#35 in Oceania

#1236 in the World

Founded: 1991

30. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Physics

#36 in Oceania

#1271 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Founded: 1967

31. Central Queensland University

Australia | North Rockhampton

For Physics

#38 in Oceania

#1535 in the World

Founded: 1967

32. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Physics

#39 in Oceania

#1581 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

33. Southern Cross University

Australia | Lismore

For Physics

#41 in Oceania

#1850 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1994

34. Charles Darwin University

Australia | Darwin

For Physics

#42 in Oceania

#2057 in the World

Founded: 1989

35. Australian Catholic University

Australia | North Sydney

For Physics

#43 in Oceania

#2149 in the World

Founded: 1991

36. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Physics

#44 in Oceania

#2189 in the World

Founded: 1870

37. University of the Sunshine Coast

Australia | Sippy Downs

For Physics

#45 in Oceania

#2389 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Founded: 1994

38. Bond University

Australia | Gold Coast

For Physics

#46 in Oceania

#2506 in the World

Founded: 1987

39. University of Notre Dame Australia

Australia | Fremantle

For Physics

#48 in Oceania

#3728 in the World

Founded: 1989

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

Physics subfields in Australia

Acoustical Engineering39

Applied/Engineering Physics24

Astrophysics and Astronomy39

Atomic and Molecular physics28

Condensed Matter Physics32

Materials Science39

Medical Physics29

Nanotechnology36

Nuclear Physics36

Optical Engineering39

Quantum and Particle physics39

Theoretical Physics30