Australian universities have been named among some of the best in the world in a new university ranking.

The US News & World Report Best Global Universities ranking listed the top institutions in Australia, with the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and University of Queensland taking the top three positions.

Curtin University made a major leap in its ranking from last year, jumping 16 spots to become equal 174th in the world.

These universities have been listed among the best in Australia.

The US News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings for 2021 looked at nearly 1,500 institutions from across 86 countries and calculated them based on their academic research and overall reputation.

Globally, the top ranked university was Harvard University, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

But the report also listed the top universities by country, based on their position in the Best Global Universities rankings, with the University of Melbourne coming out on top. Melbourne Uni also took the crown for Aussie universities in The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2021.

Some universities also managed to improve their position from last year.

Curtin University in Western Australia climbed 16 spots from last year to become equal 174th in the latest rankings. It was listed among the top 250 unis in the world for 15 subjects and top 100 unis for five subjects.

Its best performing subject was Civil Engineering, where it ranked 24th in the world (up from 37 last year). Plus, it improved in Geosciences, ranking 51st compared to 60th last year.

“I am proud to have Curtin again recognised on the global stage and this result is particularly pleasing as the US News Global Rankings reflects both academic research and international reputation,” Curtin Vice-Chancellor Professor John Cordery said in a statement.

“Curtin prides itself on its commitment to undertaking outstanding research that is relevant to industry and the wider community, and is also focussed on making real-world impact and transforming lives. Rankings such as those released today are recognition of this vision.”

Also improving its rankings was RMIT in Victoria, which jumped 34 spots to become 281st in the world. Like Curtin University, Civil Engineering was RMIT’s shining light, with its subject ranking 36th in the world – up from 71.

“It is rewarding to see that our quality of research, performance in top research publications and many international collaborations and partnerships are being recognised,” RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Vice-President, Professor Calum Drummond said in a statement.

Here’s the list of top 20 universities in Australia:

1. University of Melbourne

2. University of Sydney

3. University of Queensland

4. Monash University

5. University of New South Wales

6. Australian National University

7. University of Adelaide

8. University of Western Australia

9. University of Technology Sydney

10. Curtin University

11. Queensland University of Technology

12. University of Wollongong

13. Griffith University

14. Macquarie University

15. Deakin University

16. University of Newcastle

17. University of Western Sydney

18. RMIT University

19. James Cook University

20. Swinburne University of Technology


This story originally appeared on Business Insider Australia.