Victoria’s world class universities continue to shine in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
Victorian universities continue to shine on the world stage in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, reinforcing its reputation as a high-quality global study destination.
At the centre of this performance is the University of Melbourne, which achieved the highest breadth of top 50 subject areas for any Australian university, with 47 subjects ranked in the world’s top 50, highlighting its depth and consistency of academic excellence.
Monash University also shone globally and nationally, with 51 subjects in the world’s top 100 and leading nationally in two subjects with Pharmacy & Pharmacology ranked #2 globally and Economics #36 in the world.
RMIT University was placed in the global top 20 for Architecture/ Built Environment (#15), Art and Design (#19) and became Australia’s top performer in the Library & Information Management (#29) for the first time since 2019.
Victoria also stood out as a global leader in the sporting domain with Deakin University, La Trobe University and Victoria University all placing within the world’s top 100 for Sports-related Subjects. Swinburne University also maintained its place as a global leader in Art and Design, placing in the world’s top 100-150.
Key subject area standouts for Victorian universities include:
Subject | University | 2026 Rank |
|---|---|---|
Pharmacy & Pharmacology | Monash University | 2 |
Economics & Econometrics | Monash University | 36 |
Law | The University of Melbourne | 11 |
Life Sciences & Medicine | The University of Melbourne | 14 |
Education | The University of Melbourne | 15 |
Arts & Humanities | The University of Melbourne | 16 |
Geography | The University of Melbourne | 16 |
Social Sciences & Management | The University of Melbourne | 19 |
Sociology | The University of Melbourne | 18 |
English Language & Literature | The University of Melbourne | 18 |
Psychology | The University of Melbourne | 20 |
Medicine | The University of Melbourne | 20 |
Accounting & Finance | The University of Melbourne | 24 |
Computer Science & Information Systems | The University of Melbourne | 31 |
Biological Sciences | The University of Melbourne | 38 |
Business and Management Studies | The University of Melbourne | 42 |
Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering | The University of Melbourne | 45 |
Architecture / Built Environment | RMIT University | 15 |
Art & Design | RMIT University | 19 |
Library & Information Management | RMIT University | 29 |
Sports-related Subjects | Deakin University | 11 |
Sports-related Subjects | La Trobe University | 29 |
Sports-related Subjects | Victoria University | 51–100 |
Art and Design | Swinburne University | 101–150 |
These results reinforce Melbourne and Victoria’s reputation as a world class education destination with globally recognised academic excellence across a wide range of disciplines.
Combined with Melbourne’s consistently high ranking as a student city and the state’s globally connected university ecosystem, Victoria is a premium study partner delivering both quality education and diverse study opportunities at world-class standard.