31 Best universities for Theoretical Physics in Australia

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Australia ranked based on their research performance in Theoretical Physics. A graph of 858K citations received by 22.5K academic papers made by 31 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 Theoretical Physics

#1 in Oceania

#74 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

2. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Theoretical Physics

#2 in Oceania

#150 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

3. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Theoretical Physics

#3 in Oceania

#167 in the World

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

4. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Theoretical Physics

#4 in Oceania

#172 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

5. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Theoretical Physics

#5 in Oceania

#174 in the World

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

6. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Theoretical Physics

#6 in Oceania

#215 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

7. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Theoretical Physics

#7 in Oceania

#289 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

8. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Theoretical Physics

#8 in Oceania

#315 in the World

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

9. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Theoretical Physics

#10 in Oceania

#458 in the World

Founded: 1971

10. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Theoretical Physics

#12 in Oceania

#491 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

11. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Theoretical Physics

#13 in Oceania

#560 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

12. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Theoretical Physics

#15 in Oceania

#601 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

13. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Theoretical Physics

#16 in Oceania

#622 in the World

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

14. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Theoretical Physics

#17 in Oceania

#625 in the World

Founded: 1966

15. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Theoretical Physics

#18 in Oceania

#673 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

16. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Theoretical Physics

#19 in Oceania

#675 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

17. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Theoretical Physics

#22 in Oceania

#731 in the World

Founded: 1908

18. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Theoretical Physics

#23 in Oceania

#780 in the World

Founded: 1965

19. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Theoretical Physics

#24 in Oceania

#784 in the World

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

20. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Theoretical Physics

#26 in Oceania

#927 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

21. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Theoretical Physics

#27 in Oceania

#949 in the World

Founded: 1887

22. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Theoretical Physics

#28 in Oceania

#1029 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

23. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Theoretical Physics

#29 in Oceania

#1173 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

24. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Theoretical Physics

#30 in Oceania

#1213 in the World

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

25. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Theoretical Physics

#31 in Oceania

#1267 in the World

Founded: 1970

26. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Theoretical Physics

#32 in Oceania

#1453 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

27. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Theoretical Physics

#33 in Oceania

#1545 in the World

Founded: 1991

28. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Theoretical Physics

#34 in Oceania

#1685 in the World

Founded: 1870

29. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Theoretical Physics

#36 in Oceania

#1823 in the World

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

30. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Theoretical Physics

#37 in Oceania

#1898 in the World

Founded: 1990

31. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Theoretical Physics

#38 in Oceania

#2090 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

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

Physics subfields in Australia

Acoustical Engineering39

Applied/Engineering Physics27

Astrobiology28

Astrophysics and Astronomy39

Atomic and Molecular physics29

Biophysics28

Condensed Matter Physics32

Optical Engineering39

Quantum and Particle physics39