Top Universities in Australia for Indian Students (2027 Rankings and Fees)

Top Universities in Australia for Indian Students
Top Universities in Australia for Indian Students

The top universities in Australia for Indian students in 2027 are UNSW Sydney, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, the Australian National University (ANU) and Monash. Which one is number 1 depends on the ranking. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, UNSW is first in Australia and 19th in the world. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, Melbourne is first in Australia, at joint 34th. If you’re applying for a master’s, shortlist four to six from the fee column. You can start in Semester 1 (February or March) or Semester 2 (July), and some universities and colleges also offer trimester or term starts, according to Study Australia’s guide to mid-year entry.

Key Takeaways

  • UNSW leads Australia in QS 2027 (19th worldwide); Melbourne leads THE 2027 (joint 34th).
  • Master’s fees in the table run from AUD 48,900 (approx. INR 32.89 lakh) a year at Macquarie to AUD 64,800 (approx. INR 43.58 lakh) at Sydney.
  • UNSW takes 20% off tuition every year for Indian students starting in 2026 or 2027; Monash Merit pays AUD 15,000 (approx. INR 10.09 lakh) a year to 20 undergraduates.
  • Student visa: from AUD 2,500 (approx. INR 1.68 lakh); you may need to show AUD 29,710 (approx. INR 19.98 lakh) for living costs.
  • Study a course of at least 2 years in Perth, Adelaide, Canberra or Geelong for 5 extra PR points; keep living there for 1 more work year.
Table of Contents
Top universities in Australia for Indian students: QS 2027, THE 2027 and fees Scroll here ↓ Best Australian university for your profile and budget Scroll here ↓ Tuition fees and first-year costs at Australia’s top universities Scroll here ↓ Scholarships for Indian students at Australia’s top universities Scroll here ↓ Post-study work and PR points by university campus Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

Top universities in Australia for Indian students: QS 2027, THE 2027 and fees

Australia has 9 universities in the world top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. The ten below are Australia's top 10 in the THE World University Rankings 2027, sorted by QS rank, with the latest master's fee beside each. Use the fee and extra-work columns to cut the list, not the rank alone.

UniversityCityQS 2027THE 2027Latest international master’s fee a year (named course)Extra work after graduating
UNSW SydneySydney19=75Master of IT AUD 63,000 (2026) (approx. INR 42.37 lakh)No
University of MelbourneMelbourne=22=34Master of Data Science AUD 61,440 (approx. INR 41.32 lakh)No
University of SydneySydney28=51Engineering and computer science master’s, 2027 band AUD 60,800 to 64,800 (approx. INR 40.89 lakh to 43.58 lakh)No
Australian National UniversityCanberra2977Master of Computing AUD 57,640 (approx. INR 38.77 lakh)Yes, +1 year if you stay in the city
Monash UniversityMelbourne3161Master of Data Science AUD 57,540 (approx. INR 38.70 lakh)No
University of QueenslandBrisbane=40=73Master of IT AUD 60,952 (approx. INR 41.00 lakh)No
University of Western AustraliaPerth=77=173Master of IT AUD 54,400 (approx. INR 36.59 lakh)Yes, +1 year if you stay in the city
Adelaide UniversityAdelaide79=141Master of IT (Computing and Innovation) AUD 55,400 (approx. INR 37.26 lakh)Yes, +1 year if you stay in the city
University of Technology SydneySydney=87152Master of IT about AUD 57,870 a year (2 sessions of AUD 28,935; approx. INR 38.92 lakh)No
Macquarie UniversitySydney=126=161Master of IT AUD 48,900 (approx. INR 32.89 lakh)No

The two rankings often disagree. The University of Western Australia (UWA) is joint 77th in QS 2027 but joint 173rd in THE 2027, because the two score different things. In the QS World University Rankings methodology, a fifth of the score comes from how employers rate a university’s graduates and how those graduates find jobs. The THE World University Rankings 2027 methodology has no employer survey, and two of its five scoring areas measure research. So if you want a job straight after a master’s, go by QS; if a PhD is the plan, go by THE.

  • Adelaide University is new. Adelaide University officially opened in January 2026, when the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia merged, so 2027 offers use the new name.
  • Also consider: RMIT University (=119 in QS 2027), Curtin University in Perth (189), the University of Wollongong (195), Deakin University (227) and Queensland University of Technology (240).

Once you’ve shortlisted from the top universities in Australia for Indian students, our guide to studying in Australia covers visas, living costs and the rest of the move.

Best Australian university for your profile and budget

Which university fits you depends on what you’re applying for. A B.Tech graduate planning a Master of IT and a Class 12 student choosing a bachelor’s need different shortlists, so pick the row that matches your top priority.

Your priorityShortlist firstWhyNext step
Bachelor’s after Class 12Monash, Melbourne, UNSWMonash Merit considers every undergraduate offer-holder (20 a year); among state boards, Melbourne and UNSW admit directly only from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and KarnatakaApply for the course; no separate Merit form
Master’s on a budgetMacquarie, UWA, Adelaide UniversityMaster of IT under AUD 56,000 (approx. INR 37.67 lakh) a yearCompare the same course at all three
Top global nameUNSW, Melbourne, SydneyTop 3 in Australia in QS 2027Claim UNSW’s 20% India award
PharmacyMonashAccording to QS, 2nd in the world and 1st in Australia for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026Put Monash first on your list
Jobs firstUNSW1st of 37 Australian institutions for QS 2027 employment outcomes, as UNSW reportsPick a course with industry placement
Permanent residence (PR) firstUWA, Adelaide University, ANU, Charles Darwin University (Darwin)1 or 2 extra work years; PR points on a 2-year coursePlan to live in that region after you graduate

Still in Class 12? Check your board’s entry rules on our page on studying in Australia after 12th.

Eight of the ten rows are members of the Group of Eight (Go8), Australia’s group of eight research-heavy universities. Go8 membership tells you about research strength. It doesn’t mean lower fees or a job: for jobs the course matters more, so compare fields in our courses in Australia guide. If you’re comparing one-year and two-year options, our master’s in Australia guide sets the course lengths side by side.

From our counselling desk: in this year's sessions with Hyderabad and Tirupati families, students who fixed a list of four to six universities early avoided the last-minute rush for offers and housing. The lists that worked mixed one hard-to-get Go8 choice with two or three where the student's marks were well above the entry bar. Fix the list first; don't wait on one dream offer.

Tuition fees and first-year costs at Australia’s top universities

If your budget is fixed, sort by fee before rank. Tuition, not the visa fee, decides whether you can afford a university. Year one of the cheapest Master of IT in the table, at Macquarie, comes to AUD 81,110 before health insurance and flights:

  • Tuition: AUD 48,900
  • Living costs for 12 months: AUD 29,710
  • Student visa application fee: from AUD 2,500

The Student visa (subclass 500) application fee starts from AUD 2,500. Part-time work can help with living costs: the same visa lets you work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, but not at all before your course starts. Students on a master’s by research or a PhD have no work limit.

The AUD 29,710 is the 12-month living-cost amount Home Affairs sets for a student. If your visa document checklist asks for proof of money, which Home Affairs calls evidence of financial capacity, you must attach it; if it doesn’t, Home Affairs can still ask while processing your application. Parents, this is the living-cost part of what your savings or loan papers need to cover. The money isn’t locked away; it pays for rent and food during the year. Our guide to the cost of studying in Australia adds rent by city and OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover, the health insurance student visa holders carry).

For 2027 entry, most University of Melbourne bachelor’s degrees cost AUD 43,904 to 65,344 a year. At Monash, most bachelor’s degrees cost AUD 39,500 to 64,200 a year on 2026 fees.

Scholarships for Indian students at Australia’s top universities

Four scholarships at the top universities in Australia for Indian students can cut your fees:

  • UNSW International Student Award: 20% off tuition in every year of the program for Indian students starting in 2026 or 2027, and it combines with other international student scholarships.
  • UNSW International Scientia Coursework Scholarship: full tuition or AUD 20,000 a year towards tuition, for undergraduate or postgraduate study. It’s hard to win.
  • Monash International Merit Scholarship (undergraduate only): AUD 15,000 a year for the minimum length of your degree, up to AUD 75,000 in total. Monash gives 20 a year. There’s no form to fill: anyone with a Monash bachelor’s offer is considered.
  • Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship: from 2027, 20% off fees for the whole course, with 225 awards. Indian citizens who haven’t studied at university before are considered automatically when they apply for a course, ranked on final Class 12 or foundation results. You can’t hold it with another scholarship or discount that cuts your fees.

Two government scholarships are closed to you: India isn’t an Australia Awards participating country, and Destination Australia has had no new funding rounds since 1 July 2024. Our scholarships for Australia guide lists the awards that are open.

Post-study work and PR points by university campus

Study in Perth, Adelaide or Canberra on a course of at least 2 years and you earn 5 extra points towards permanent residence (PR). Keep living there after you graduate and you can work 1 extra year; move to Sydney and you lose it. The post-study work visa (subclass 485) costs from AUD 5,750.

Your degree sets the length of that first visa. Under an Australia-India trade agreement, Indian graduates, usually aged 35 or under, can stay up to 2 years after a bachelor’s, 3 after a master’s and 4 after a PhD. Our post-study work visa guide covers how to apply.

Australia classes most places outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as designated regional areas, in two tiers:

  • Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong: 1 more year of work, if you studied there and keep living there.
  • Darwin, Toowoomba and other regional towns: 2 more years of work, if you studied there and keep living there.
  • Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane: no extra years.

The 5 points count on the skilled migration points test, the score Australia uses to rank PR applicants. Your course must last at least 2 academic years (92 weeks), studied in Australia over at least 16 months, so a 1.5-year master’s alone does not qualify. The extra work years come through a second post-study work visa. You apply for it while you still hold the first one, and you must usually be 35 or under. You must also have lived in a designated regional area for at least 2 years just before you apply.

If PR matters most, only three universities in this table sit in a regional city: UWA in Perth, Adelaide University, and ANU in Canberra. For 2 extra years, look at Charles Darwin University in Darwin and the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) in Toowoomba. Then match the campus to a field on the shortage list with our in-demand courses in Australia guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. UNSW, Melbourne and Monash also accept PTE Academic or TOEFL iBT, but UNSW won’t take IELTS Online. Monash wants IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0; some courses ask more. UNSW Engineering asks 6.5 with no band below 6.0, and some UNSW programs ask 7.0. Most master’s courses don’t need the GRE or GMAT, but some do.

UNSW Sydney’s International Scientia Coursework Scholarship can pay full tuition for undergraduate or postgraduate study, but it’s hard to win. Every Indian student starting at UNSW in 2027 is also eligible for its International Student Award, which takes 20% off tuition in every year of the program.

Not directly. Two years of study lead to a temporary post-study work visa (subclass 485), not PR. PR usually comes later through a points-tested skilled visa. Studying in a regional area on a course of at least 2 years adds 5 points. Age, English and skilled work also score points; build that experience on your 485 visa.

It depends on the ranking. UNSW Sydney is first in Australia in QS 2027, at 19th in the world. The University of Melbourne is first in Australia in THE 2027, at joint 34th. Use QS if employer reputation matters most to you, and THE if you’re heading toward research.

Among the ten universities in the table, Macquarie University has the cheapest Master of IT, at AUD 48,900 (approx. INR 32.89 lakh) a year. The University of Western Australia comes next at AUD 54,400 (approx. INR 36.59 lakh), and its Perth campus can earn you the regional extra work year and PR points.

Ardent Overseas has helped Indian students since 2014 from offices in Hyderabad and Tirupati, securing more than 12,000 visas across destinations. Our study in Australia consultants in Hyderabad work with universities across Australia on admissions and visas. Bring your marks, budget and preferred intake, and we’ll match them to the rows above. The steps from offer to visa are in our Australia admission process guide.

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