Eyeing up a move to Melbourne for your studies? As Australia’s cultural capital and one of the best student cities in the world, we don’t blame you! But with so many amazing universities in Melbourne, choosing where to study is anything but easy.
That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive guide covering all of Melbourne’s universities, exploring key information on courses, campus life and more to help you make the right decision. Sound good? Let’s dive in!
The University of Melbourne (UniMelb) is the cream of the crop. Not only does it consistently rank as Australia’s best university, but it’s also a top 20 institution worldwide. So if you’re looking for academic excellence, this is it.
Founded in 1853, the university has a lengthy history to match its modern-day prestige, plus some incredible facilities spread throughout the city. The main campus is in Parkville, close enough to the buzz of the CBD but surrounded by some of the city’s best green spaces.
Always one to innovate, the university introduced its famous ‘Melbourne Model’ in 2008, effectively replacing specialist degrees with a handful of generalist undergraduate programmes. Today, these are split into seven core areas:
Arts
Biomedicine
Commerce
Design
Fine arts
Music
Science
Within each area, you select a major to focus on which makes up a third of your studies, while also taking subjects in other disciplines. At the end of the degree, many students pursue further study in a specialised area, but you can also head straight into work.
As one of the world’s leading universities, top-quality teaching is guaranteed no matter what path you decide to take – though the university does have a special reputation for law, medicine, psychology and the arts.
And with over 200 student clubs to choose from, campus life is always vibrant. The university has a distinctly global feel, too, with over 20,000 international students and the opportunity to study abroad at more than 200 partner institutions worldwide.
Locations: Parkville, Southbank, Burnley, Dookie, Creswick, Werribee, Shepparton
National ranking: #1
International ranking: #13
Source: QS World University Rankings
Maintaining a friendly rivalry with UniMelb, Monash University is another globally renowned institution that regularly ranks among the top 50 in the world. It’s also Australia's largest university by enrolment, with a massive population of over 85,000 students.
UniMelb may have the history and reputation, but Monash has many merits of its own, including amazing research opportunities, strong industry connections and a huge array of courses.
In fact, there are more than 150 undergraduate and 250 postgraduate programmes to pick from, with each delivered by one of ten faculties that collectively make up the core structure of the university:
Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Business and Economics
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Information Technology
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Faculty of Science
Like UniMelb, the standard of teaching at Monash is consistently high, though the university performs particularly well in the areas of business, engineering, law and social sciences, while it’s also among the top five in the world for pharmacy and pharmacology.
There are four main campuses in Melbourne, with the biggest one based Clayton, a vibrant suburb about 20km southeast of the CBD. It’s well connected to rest of the city with the university running a free shuttle service between its core locations.
Besides the teaching, one of the main perks of studying at Monash is the social life. With such a large and diverse student body, there’s plenty of opportunity to connect with other people and get involved in the various clubs and societies taking place around campus.
Locations: Clayton, Caulfield, Frankston, Parkville, CBD, Docklands
National ranking: #5
International ranking: #37
Source: QS World University Rankings
If you’re looking to study in the fields of design, technology or business, RMIT University is right up there with the likes of UniMelb and Monash as one of the best universities in the Australia.
Founded in 1887, this specialist institution has a long history of providing high-quality technical education and today ranks among the best places in the world to study subjects like art and design, engineering and architecture.
While having a smaller area of focus than the two previous universities, RMIT still offers over 100 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate programmes. Its core academic structure is made up of four overarching colleges:
College of Business and Law
College of Design and Social Context
College of Vocational Education
STEM College
RMIT is predominantly based in Melbourne’s CBD – a major draw for many students – but has two other key locations in the leafy suburb of Bundoora and the eclectic inner-city neighbourhood of Brunswick.
It’s well known for its industry connections and strong emphasis on practical experience, with most programmes involving work placements. Some of the higher-profile companies that RMIT works with to deliver these are Amazon, IBM, Adobe and Deloitte.
Despite its specialist focus, the university is hugely popular with over 50,000 students working from the main campus. That means you get all the social benefits of a major comprehensive university while still being around lots of like-minded students.
Location(s): CBD, Bundoora, Brunswick, Bendigo, Point Cook
National ranking: #10
International ranking: #123
Source: QS World University Rankings
Founded in 1974, Deakin University is one of the younger universities on this list, but it’s quickly built a solid reputation both at home and internationally for high-quality teaching, excellent employment outcomes and glowing student satisfaction scores.
Deakin’s main campus is in Burwood, a relaxed suburb about 15km east of Melbourne’s CBD, with other locations elsewhere in Victoria in the seaside cities of Geelong and Warrnambool.
The university has a diverse study programme encompassing more than 200 courses, with each of these delivered by one four main faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Education
Faculty of Business and Law
Faculty of Health
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment
Deakin is especially known for sport science – where it ranks among the best universities in the world – as well as nursing, education and social science.
What sets the university apart is its emphasis on employability. Work placements form a key part of many programmes, while there’s also further support in the form of career counselling and networking events.
This is another major university with close to 30,000 students based at the Burwood campus alone, so you can expect a lively social life with lots of clubs, societies and events to get involved in.
Location(s): Burwood, Geelong, Warrnambool
National ranking: #15
International ranking: #197
Source: QS World University Rankings
La Trobe University is another young but well-respected institution with a progressive approach, a broad study offering and a number of courses ranked in the top positions globally.
The sprawling, 580-acre main campus is based in the leafy suburb of Bundoora in northeast Melbourne, though the university has other several other locations in the city and further afield in Australia.
From arts and social science to business and engineering, you can study in pretty much any area here, and there are ten schools that make up the core academic structure of the university:
School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment
School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport
La Trobe Business School
School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
School of Education
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
La Trobe Law School
School of Nursing and Midwifery
School of Psychology and Public Health
La Trobe Rural Health School
La Trobe has lots of good subjects, but ranks especially well for nursing, microbiology, sports science and archaeology – so well worth considering if you’re looking to explore one of these areas!
The main campus – which features several cafes, stores and even a cinema and theatre – is a major plus point if you’re looking for that classic campus experience a bit further away from the city.
If you do choose to study here, you’ll be joining a sizeable community of over 35,000 students. As you’d expect from a university of this size, there are dozens of clubs on offer covering all sorts of interests.
Locations: Bundoora, CBD, Sydney, Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura, Shepparton
National ranking: #17
International ranking: #217
Source: QS World University Rankings
Specialising in science and technology, Swinburne University of Technology is another highly-ranked institution with a long history of cutting-edge technical education. Founded in 1908, it gained full university status in 1992.
In its early years, Swinburne focused primarily on science and mathematics but has since branched out to other areas. Today, it has six main schools that collectively deliver more than 150 undergraduate and 100 graduate programmes:
School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship
School of Design and Architecture
School of Engineering
School of Health Sciences
School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies
School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education
The main campus is based in the swanky suburb of Hawthorn, just a short trip from the CBD. Here, you’ll find the majority of the 20,000 or so students enrolled at the university, along with lots of clubs, societies and events.
Swinburne is big on work-integrated learning, which means there’s plenty of opportunity for placements and internships – many of which are paid. You can also take advantage of career counselling and skills workshops to further enhance your prospects.
Location(s): Hawthorn, Croydon, Wantirna
National ranking: #19
International ranking: #291
Source: QS World University Rankings
One of the few dual-sector universities in Australia, Victoria University (VU) has a huge study offering covering everything from short courses and apprenticeships to bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
The student population is mostly made up of undergraduates working across both technical and more traditional academic pathways. Courses are delivered by six main schools and colleges:
College of Arts, Business, Law, Education & IT
Centre of VU Transitions
College of Sport, Health & Engineering
VU First Year College
School for the Visitor Economy
TAFE at VU
The university is known for its VU Block Model, a standardised approach to learning which allows students to focus on one subject at a time rather than juggle modules from different areas.
There are two main campuses each with their own vibe – one in the leafy parklands of Footscray about 5km west of Melbourne’s CBD and another right in the heart of the city – giving you the best of both worlds.
Location(s): CBD, Footscray, St Albans, Sunshine, Werribee, Brisbane, Sydney
National ranking: #33
International ranking: #741-750
Source: QS World University Rankings
Australian Catholic University (ACU) is one of the world’s leading Catholic universities and a major institution with campuses across Australia. One of the main ones is based in Melbourne, where you can study most courses offered by the university.
ACU focuses on non-technology fields and is made up of four main faculties, each encompassing a range of disciplines:
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Law and Business
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Some of its highest-ranked subjects are theology – where it places among the best in the world – nursing, sports, psychology and education.
The Melbourne campus has some great facilities and is based just a stone’s throw from the CBD in the bohemian suburb of Fitzroy, putting students within easy reach of the city’s top attractions.
Location(s): Fitzroy, Ballarat, Blacktown, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney
National ranking: #35
International ranking: #901-950
Source: QS World University Rankings
Founded in 1870, Federation University is one Australia’s oldest universities and a major dual-sector institution with a strong regional presence. Along with its locations in Ballarat, Berwick, Churchill and Horsham, the university has a campus in the heart of Melbourne.
Federation’s study offering is broad, however you'll only be able to pick from the following subjects if you're looking to study at the Melbourne campus full time:
Public health
Information technology
Business
Engineering
Based in the CBD, the campus is just minutes away from sights like Federation Square, State Library Victoria and Queen Victoria Market – so it’s perfectly placed for exploring the city between lectures.
And despite the university being spread out over several campuses, there’s still a strong sense of community with lots of clubs and societies to participate in.
Location(s): CBD, Ballarat, Berwick, Churchill, Horsham
National ranking: N/A
International ranking: N/A
Few cities in the world rival Melbourne when it comes to the quality and range of its universities. Whether you’re going down the traditional academic route or looking for specialist technical education, you won’t have any trouble finding the right course.
Now that you know all about the city’s universities, why not check out our guide on the best things to do in Melbourne? Or if you need somewhere to stay during your studies, browse our range of student accommodation in Melbourne!
There are no less nine than fully accredited universities with locations in Melbourne. This includes major names like the University of Melbourne, Monash University and RMIT University, as well as the likes of Deakin University, La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University, Australian Catholic University and Federation University.
The 'best' university in Melbourne is cause for debate and the answer depends on who you’re asking. UniMelb has lots of history and tends to top the lists of university rankings, however Monash is often cited as the better choice for employment prospects. If you’re looking to study in STEM, then RMIT and Swinburne are two other excellent options.
It’s estimated that over 400,000 students – including more than 230,000 international students – live in and around Melbourne. This comfortably makes Melbourne the biggest and most diverse student city in Australia, while it’s also right up there with the likes of London, Paris and New York as one of the most popular student cities in the world.
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