2026-09-07
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Australia: All 13 Ranked Universities, QS 2026 Data
Australia fields 13 universities in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, placing it joint-th
Australia fields 13 universities in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, placing it joint-third globally alongside China (Mainland) by number of ranked institutions. The country’s best entry is The University of Melbourne at rank 31. No Australian university reaches the global top 30 in this subject, but five institutions sit within the top 50 and nine within the top 100, giving the country a solid mid-tier cluster rather than a single flagship at the very top.
How Australia compares globally
Across the 201 ranked institutions in this subject worldwide, spanning 37 countries, Australia’s 13 entries tie it with China (Mainland) for third place in sheer volume. The United States leads with 41 ranked universities, followed by the United Kingdom with 22. India, Spain, Canada, Italy, Malaysia, and Hong Kong SAR round out the top ten countries, each with between 6 and 8 ranked institutions.
This volume-based comparison matters for readers already committed to Australia: the country offers more distinct options in this discipline than any European nation except the UK, and more than Canada or India. But volume does not translate into top-tier dominance. Australia has zero universities in the top 10, top 20, or top 30 bands. Its highest-ranked entry sits at 31, meaning the country’s best performance in this subject is a strong mid-30s position rather than a global leadership spot.
The top 50: five universities
Five Australian universities rank between 31 and 50 globally. The University of Melbourne leads at 31, followed by four other institutions in the 31–50 band. This group represents the country’s most competitive tier in Data Science and AI, and it is the only band where Australia has more than a single representative.
The score distribution within this group shows meaningful differentiation. Among the five Australian universities in the top 50 that have a published overall score, the highest is 80.6 and the lowest is 76.3. The published overall scores in this group are 80.6, 79, 77.2, 76.9, and 76.3, so the five top-50 institutions are not tightly bunched — there is a visible gap between the leader and the fifth entry in this band.
A median rank cannot be computed for the 13 Australian universities, because the institution at the median position has only a published rank range (51-100). Australia’s strength is concentrated in the 31–100 range rather than evenly distributed across the full ranking.
The 51–100 band: four more universities
Four additional Australian universities rank between 51 and 100, bringing the country’s total within the top 100 to nine. These four institutions are listed with a rank band but no published overall score. The five top-50 institutions have published overall scores, while the four institutions in the 51–100 band do not, so the two tiers cannot be compared on measured overall performance.
For readers comparing options within Australia, this band matters because it offers institutions with solid international standing that may be more accessible in terms of entry requirements or program structure. The four universities in this range provide a meaningful middle option between the top-50 group and the remaining four ranked institutions.
The 101–200 band: the remaining four
Four Australian universities are listed in the 101–200 rank band, completing the country’s 13 ranked entries. Nine Australian institutions fall within the top 150 globally, while the other four are listed in the 101–200 rank band, which straddles 150 and cannot be counted inside the top 150 or described as outside it. The four institutions in this band are listed in the 101–200 rank band, which straddles 150, so they cannot be counted inside the top 150 of a 201-institution list.
No overall score is published for the institutions in this band or in the 51–100 band, so their measured performance cannot be compared.
The score distribution: what the numbers reveal
Among the five Australian universities with a published overall score, only one achieves an overall score of 80 or above — that is The University of Melbourne at 80.6. Four universities score between 70 and 79, and one scores between 80 and 89. The remaining eight institutions are listed with a rank or rank band but no published overall score.
This distribution shows that, among the Australian institutions with a published overall score, most sit in the 70–79 band, with a single standout in the 80–89 band. No Australian university with a published overall score reaches the 90–100 band. The country’s overall profile is one of broad mid-tier strength with limited high-end differentiation.
What this means for readers choosing a program
For readers who have already decided on Australia as their destination, the key takeaway is that the country offers depth — 13 ranked institutions — but the top of the field is not dominated by a single elite university. The University of Melbourne leads at 31, but four other institutions sit within the top 50, and four more within the top 100. This means that strong programs exist across multiple cities and institutions, rather than being concentrated in one or two locations.
The absence of any Australian university in the global top 30 in this subject is worth noting. If a reader’s priority is studying at a globally top-30 program in Data Science and AI, Australia does not currently offer that option. However, for readers seeking a well-ranked program in a country with multiple choices, Australia’s 13 ranked institutions provide considerable flexibility.
Data notes
The data in this article comes from the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), with a data reference date of 2026-04-03. The rankings cover 60 subject areas and include component scores for academic reputation, employer reputation, citations, H-index, and international research network. The official source page is QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
The figures presented here were extracted by parsing the subject-specific ranking for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and filtering for institutions located in Australia. Rank values are taken as the lower-bound integer for each institution’s reported position. The global list for this subject includes 201 ranked institutions across 37 countries.
One limitation worth noting: the ranking only includes institutions that meet QS’s eligibility criteria for this subject. Universities in Australia that do not appear in the list may still offer programs in Data Science and AI, but they are not captured in this dataset. Additionally, the QS subject rankings rely on survey responses and bibliometric indicators, which may not fully reflect all aspects of program quality, such as teaching innovation or industry partnerships.
| Subject Rank | Institution | Country/Region | Academic Reputation | Employer Reputation | Citations | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | The University of Melbourne | Australia | 81 | 80.4 | 84.7 | 80.6 |
| 38 | The University of Sydney | Australia | 73.7 | 73.8 | 94.5 | 79 |
| 44 | Australian National University (ANU) | Australia | 74.8 | 72.8 | 92 | 77.2 |
| 45 | University of Technology Sydney | Australia | 71 | 69.5 | 96.2 | 76.9 |
| 48 | Monash University | Australia | 69 | 74 | 93.4 | 76.3 |
| 51-100 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | Australia | 67.6 | 74.1 | 88.6 | — |
| 51-100 | Adelaide University | Australia | 64.5 | 66.2 | 97.2 | — |
| 51-100 | RMIT University | Australia | 68.9 | 69.2 | 83.8 | — |
| 51-100 | The University of Queensland | Australia | 64.4 | 68.7 | 89.5 | — |
| 101-200 | Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia) | Australia | 62.5 | 65.5 | 87.6 | — |
| 101-200 | Deakin University | Australia | 57.4 | 57.6 | 89.6 | — |
| 101-200 | Queensland University of Technology (QUT) | Australia | 63.8 | 52.6 | 84.9 | — |
| 101-200 | The University of Western Australia | Australia | 50.6 | 62.9 | 91.1 | — |
| Country/Region | Ranked Institutions |
|---|---|
| United States of America | 41 |
| United Kingdom | 22 |
| China (Mainland) | 13 |
| Australia | 13 |
| India | 8 |
| Spain | 8 |
| Canada | 7 |
| Italy | 7 |
| Malaysia | 7 |
| Hong Kong SAR, China | 6 |