What are the top Australian Universities? Why is a university ranking important? These are two very important questions parents and students should address before they make their choice in terms of higher education institutions. If not, students can quite easily find themselves with a qualification which may not provide them any benefit to progress into the career of their choice. As guidance there are university league tables produced every year by relevant bodies such as the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and the Melbourne Institute. The Australian universities based on the two ranking systems as well as their world rankings are shown in the respective tables.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an annual publication that ranks the "Top 200 World Universities". Since its first appearance in 2004, the global university league tables have been recognized as the most authoritative source of broad comparative performance information on universities across the world. They are now regularly used by undergraduate and postgraduate students to help select degree courses, by academics to inform career decisions, by research teams to identify new collaborative partners and by university managers to benchmark their performance and set strategic priorities.

The Melbourne Institute (operated by the University of Melbourne) has produced its own country specific ranking of the international standing of Australian universities. This ranking is based on a number of performance indicators such as international standing of staff, views of Deans and CEOs, resources, undergraduate programmes, undergraduate intake and graduate programmes.

Australia is the destination of choice for students looking for a quality education. Australian higher education offers a complete range of programmes leading to highly respected and internationally recognised qualifications. Education is regulated by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
A total of 320,368 student visas were granted in 2008-09. This represents an increase of 15.2 per cent over the 2007-08 figures, and continues the trend of strong growth in Australia's international education sector.

That includes more than 8,000 Sri Lankan students. Research says that South Asian students are attracted by Australia's safety, and pleasant lifestyle as well as the opportunity for employment and migration. Australia is home to some of the world's most well ranked universities which also comprise the Group of Eight universities in Australia.

The Group of Eight (Go8) is a coalition of leading Australian universities, intensive in research and comprehensive in general and professional education. The oldest of the Go8 is University of Sydney and the youngest and largest is Monash University.

In order to make an informed decision, Australian degree seeking students and parents must refer university rankings before selecting a university. Why? Simply because university ranking and recognition can be the decisive factor in gaining access to well paid jobs and ensuring a place in an esteemed postgraduate institution.