It’s fair to say that universities in Australia dominate the new edition of the QS Top 50 Under 50 – a ranking of the world’s top 50 universities under 50 years old, based on the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings®. With nine entries, Australia has comfortably more high-ranking young universities than any other country; the next closest contender is Spain, which has five universities included.
Of course, it’s no surprise to learn that universities in Australia rank well internationally; Australia is one of the most established presences in the global higher education sector, and the likes ofAustralian National University, the University of Melbourne and University of Sydney are all familiar names at the top of the global rankings tables. And while several of the top universities in Australia date back to the 19th century (the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne were both founded in the early 1850s), the country’s higher education system is (in global terms at least) relatively youthful.
In the new edition of the Top 50 Under 50, Australia retains a total of nine entries – with two of last year’s leaving the list and two new entries replacing them. Macquarie University exits, having passed the 50-year mark, as does Flinders University, which dropped in the last QS World University Rankings. In turn, Griffith University and James Cook University make their debut appearances among the world’s top 50 universities under 50, both having strengthened their international ranking position.
Here’s a closer look at the top young universities in Australia, and the strengths that have enabled them to climb the global rankings so quickly.
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) gained university status in 1988 (having begun as Sydney Technical College in 1893). Its name is in fact slightly misleading; it offers a wide range of courses, not just in the technology field, and its largest department is actually its business school. Having climbed to 272nd in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings, UTS ranks 20th in the latest Top 50 Under 50, and is just outside the 10 youngest universities included. Like all of these nine top young universities in Australia, it gets particularly strong scores for its reputation among employers (just outside the global top 100 on this measure), and for its high proportions of overseas faculty and students.
University of Wollongong
Based in Wollongong, a coastal city to the south of Sydney, theUniversity of Wollongong was established as an independent university in 1975 (formed from an earlier division of the New South Wales University of Technology). Having begun life as a regional branch campus, it now has its very own it now has its very own international branch campus, the University of Wollongong in Dubai, as well as a business school based in Sydney. The University of Wollongong dropped slightly in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings, to 276=, and is 22nd in the QS Top 50 Under 50.
Queensland University of Technology
Just one place behind in the Top 50 Under 50, at 23rd, is Queensland University of Technology, based in Brisbane and specializing in science and engineering-related subjects, as well as offering degrees in business, law and education. Queensland University of Technology is one of the youngest universities to feature in the QS Top 50 Under 50; it was established in 1990, from a merger of several existing institutions. Currently ranked 279= in the QS World University Rankings, it claims its strongest scores for global employer reputation (just outside the world’s top 125) and proportion of international faculty members.
Curtin University
Fourth on the list of top young universities in Australia and 25th in the Top 50 Under 50 is the Perth-based Curtin University, which was established in 1987 (again, from an earlier institute). Like UTS, Curtin University is another example of a university which began with a technology focus – its full legal name is still Curtin University of Technology – but has expanded to offer courses across a broad range of subjects. It currently ranks 284= in the QS World University Rankings, and again boasts a very strong reputation among employers, as well as some of the world’s most internationally diverse faculty and student communities.
RMIT University
Next is RMIT University, short for the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, which retains a specialized focus on technology, science and engineering subjects – as well as offering a college of business and a college of design. Standing at 291= in the QS World University Rankings, RMIT University is in 28th place in the Top 50 Under 50. While it has links back to various institutions which began much earlier, RMIT has existed in its current form as a public university only since 1992 – making it the fourth youngest university in the Top 50 Under 50. Again, it enjoys a very strong reputation among employers (within the world’s top 100), and very high proportions of overseas staff and students.
University of Newcastle
Based on the outskirts of Newcastle, a coastal city to the north of Sydney, the University of Newcastle is among the older institutions included in the Top 50 Under 50. Having begun as a college of the University of Technology New South Wales, it gained autonomous public university status in 1965 – meaning it will soon no longer qualify as ‘under 50’. Teaching a comprehensive range of subjects, the university is ranked just inside the world’s top 300, at 298 in the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings. It shares the same strengths as other top young universities in Australia: a strong reputation among employers worldwide, and a high proportion of international academics.
Griffith University
A new entry in the QS Top 50 Under 50 this year, Griffith Universityclimbed 27 places in the last QS World University Rankings, to reach 341= (joint with the University of South Australia). Established in 1971 in the Nathan suburb of Brisbane, the university emerged out of a project that initially planned to extend the facilities of the University of Queensland. Today, it has expanded into a large public research university spread across five campuses on the east coast, with more than 40,000 students enrolled across a wide range of courses.
University of South Australia
One of the youngest in the Top 50 Under 50, the University of South Australia was created in 1991 from a merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and the Colleges of Advanced Education. It actually fell slightly in the last edition of the QS World University Rankings, though still remains equally matched with Griffith University at 341=. The university is mainly based in Adelaide, with several additional campuses around the state of South Australia; with more than 30,000 students enrolled, it’s the state’s largest university.
James Cook University
Finally, James Cook University (JCU) is the second new Australian entry in this edition of the Top 50 Under 50. JCU became an independent university in 1970, having evolved as a branch of the University of Queensland. Its main campuses are in the Queensland cities of Cairns and Townsville, and it also has a number of branch campuses, including an international branch in Singapore. In the last QS World University Rankings James Cook University climbed 11 places to reach 351, largely driven by improved scores for student-faculty ratio and employer reputation.
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