The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university located in Canberra. Its main campus has seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and institutes.
ANU is regarded as one of the world's leading research universities, and is ranked as the No 1 university in Australia and No 27th in the World by the 2022 QS World University Rankings.
In the 2020 Times Higher Education Global Employability University Ranking, an annual ranking of university graduates' employability, ANU was ranked 15th in the world and No 1 in Australia. According to the 2020 QS World University by Subject, the university was also ranked among the top 10 in the world for Anthropology, Earth and Marine Sciences, Geography, Geology, Philosophy, Politics, and Sociology.
Established in 1946, ANU is the only university to have been created by the Parliament of Australia. It traces its origins to Canberra University College, which was established in 1929 and was integrated into ANU in 1960. ANU has 25,500 students and has six Nobel laureates and 49 Rhodes scholars among its faculty and alumni.
Study Areas
Academic Colleges
ANU has seven academic colleges that house a number of schools and research centres that specialise in a range of disciplines.
ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences
- Research School of Humanities & the Arts
- Research School of Social Sciences
ANU College of Asia & the Pacific
- Australian Centre on China in the World
- Crawford School of Public Policy
- Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs
- School of Culture, History & Language
- School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet)
ANU College of Business & Economics
- Research School of Accounting
- Research School of Economics
- Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies & Statistics
- Research School of Management
ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science
- Research School of Computer Science
- Research School of Engineering
ANU College of Health & Medicine
- ANU Medical School
- John Curtin School of Medical Research
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health
- Research School of Psychology
ANU College of Law
- ANU Law School
- ANU School of Legal Practice
ANU College of Science
- Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science
- Fenner School of Environment & Society
- Mathematical Sciences Institute
- Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Research School of Biology
- Research School of Chemistry
- Research School of Earth Sciences
- Research School of Physics
Rankings
#1 in Australia and #27 in the World, QS World University Rankings 2022
#2 in Australia and #54 in the World, Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022
#5 in Australia and #76 in the World, Academic of World Universities 2021
Rankings by Subject
QS World University Rankings 2021
No 5 in Australia and 42nd in the World for Accounting and Finance
No 2 in Australia and 39th in the World for Agriculture & Forestry
No 6 in Australia and 47th in the World for Anatomy and Physiology
No 1 in Australia and 5th in the World for Anthropology
No 1 in Australia and 13th in the World for Archaeology
No 9 in Australia and 101-150th in the World for Art & Design
No 2 in Australia and 21st in the World for Arts and Humanities
No 3 in Australia and 59th in the World for Biological Sciences
No 6 in Australia and 45th in the World for Business and Management
No 6 in Australia and 106th in the World for Chemistry
No 3 in Australia and 51st in the World for Computer Science and Information Systems
No 1 in Australia and 15th in the World for Development Studies
No 1 in Australia and 23rd in the World for Earth & Marine Sciences
No 2 in Australia and 30th in the World for Economics
No 10 in Australia and 101-150th in the World for Education & Training
No 4 in Australia and 63rd in the World for Electrical & Electronic Engineering
No 6 in Australia and 134th in the World for Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering
No 5 in Australia and 79th in the World for Engineering & Technology
No 3 in Australia and 43rd in the World for English Language and Literature
No 4 in Australia and 34th in the World for Environmental Sciences
No 1 in Australia and 7th in the World for Geography
No 1 in Australia and 24th in the World for Geology
No 1 in Australia and 22nd in the World for Geophysics
No 1 in Australia and 17th in the World for History
No 1 in Australia and 18th in the World for Hospitality & Leisure Management
No 4 in Australia and 17th in the World for Law & Legal Studies
No 8 in Australia and 133rd in the World for Life Sciences & Medicine
No 1 in Australia and 22nd in the World for Linguistics
No 7 in Australia and 101-150th in the World for Materials Sciences
No 3 in Australia and 50th in the World for Mathematics
No 6 in Australia and 92nd in the World for Medicine
No 3 in Australia and 39th in the World for Modern Languages
No 1 in Australia and 37th in the World for Natural Sciences
No 5 in Australia and 51-100th in the World for Performing Arts
No 1 in Australia and 5th in the World for Philosophy
No 1 in Australia and 40th in the World for Physics & Astronomy
No 1 in Australia and 9th in the World for Politics
No 5 in Australia and 38th in the World for Psychology
No 1 in Australia and 12th in the World for Social Policy & Administration
No 3 in Australia and 34th in the World for Social Sciences & Management
No 1 in Australia and 13th in the World for Sociology
No 2 in Australia and 51-100th in the World for Statistics
Campuses
You'll find ANU in the inner-city suburb of Acton, Canberra. But they also have other campuses in the ACT, NSW and the NT that house some extraordinary facilities that help support teaching, learning and research.
Acton campus
Acton campus is in the heart of Canberra - Australia's capital city - in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
From here it's an easy walk, bike ride or drive to some of Australia's most significant political and cultural institutions including Australian Parliament House.
Amongst modern lecture halls, libraries, laboratories, student residences and administration buildings, you'll find all the conveniences of a small suburb including cafes, bars, supermarkets, child care centres, a newsagency, post office and even a medical centre.
The Acton Campus is well renowned for its landscape setting, with many remnant and planted trees and an obvious commitment to maintenance of open space. ANU maintains over 10,000 trees, including over 500 considered to be of exceptional significance because of their age, history or species and over 300 remnant trees predating European occupation of the area. The areas of Sullivan's Creek and University Avenue are key features of the Acton Campus providing major avenues across the campus that contribute to its 'park like' nature and are also nationally and internationally recognised features of the Acton campus.
Kioloa Coastal Campus
The Kioloa Coastal Campus has been ANU’s coastal field station since 1975. Visit the ANU's outdoor classroom at the New South Wales south coast to engage, teach and study surrounded by national parks and pristine beaches.
Nestled among the spotted gum forests of Murramarang Nation Park and the pristine beaches of southern New South Wales, this campus is a great place to learn, teach, write and conduct research in a relaxed yet energising environment away from busy campus life.
Set on 348 hectares of diverse country on the south coast of New South Wales, the Campus, a former homestead, is rich in European and Indigenous heritage and is home to an array of natural features, vegetation types and wildlife, which provide an ideal backdrop for immersive teaching and learning.
The station lies within easy driving distance from Canberra (2.5 hours), Wollongong (2.5 hours) and Sydney (3.5 hours). The facilities support short and long-term research projects, undergraduate/postgraduate field trips and other cultural and educational activities. Groups also visit the campus for conferences, retreats, workshops, seminars and meetings and the quiet and peaceful atmosphere on campus is much appreciated by academics and students to focus on writing.
Mount Stromlo Observatory
Mount Stromlo Observatory (MSO) is the home of the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It's about 18km southwest of Canberra. The ANU Mount Stromlo Observatory covers an area of 81 hectares on the summit of Canberra's Mt Stromlo.
The administrative centre, the offices of the astronomers and students, the mechanical, electronic and optical workshops, and the computer laboratories are located at MSO.
North Australia Research Unit campus
ANU North Australian Research Unit (NARU) campus is a research facility in the Northern Territory with accommodation and other resources for researchers working in north Australia and the surrounding region.
NARU campus is about a 15km drive from Darwin and about 8km drive from Darwin International Airport. It was established in 1973 to specialise in research in north Australia and to provide a base and logistic support for ANU’s Canberra-based members and members of other Australian and overseas institutions undertaking research in North Australia. At the NARU campus, ANU has established the Arafura Timor Research Facility (ATRF), a joint venture between the Australian Institute of Marine Science and ANU.
Siding Spring Observatory
The Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) is the largest optical observatory in Australia and is an important site for astronomy, astrophysics and space science in Australia. Along with several active telescopes owned by ANU, the site is home to the Anglo Australian Telescope (AAT), many international research telescopes and commercially operated telescopes and is known as Australia's foremost optical and infrared observatory.
Siding Spring is one of two key sites for the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Australia (RSAA). The site sits at the summit of Mt Woorut, NSW, and is set within the stunning National Heritage Listed Warrumbungle National Park, around 30 kilometres from the town of Coonabarabran.
