Read the latest facts and figures about ACU, the university that treats you as more than just a number.

Measuring our impact

At ACU, we give our students, staff and researchers the tools to build a better world. And the world is starting to take notice.

See for yourself how we're making strides in key areas such as global rankings, research excellence, graduate outcomes and student satisfaction.

ACU at a glance

A quick look at the numbers that tell the ACU story:

  • more than 32,000 students
  • more than 132,000 alumni
  • more than 4,100 international students
  • more than 200 international partners
  • seven campuses around Australia and an international campus in Rome, Italy
  • first in Australia for energy efficiency, and all Australian campuses are 100 per cent powered by renewable energy.

World rankings

We're proud to be positioned among the top universities in the world.

  • We are ranked in the top 2 per cent of all universities worldwide.1
  • We are ranked 47 among young universities in the world.2
  • We are one of the top 10 Catholic universities globally.3

Research excellence

Our institutes, centres and faculties boast internationally renowned scholars and produce world-leading research.

Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) evaluates the quality of research produced in Australian universities against national and international benchmarks.

In the latest ERA assessment, ACU ranked first or equal first for ten fields of research in Australia:

  • cardiorespiratory medicine and haematology
  • clinical sciences
  • cognitive sciences
  • human movement and sports science
  • nursing
  • nutrition and dietetics
  • psychology
  • public health and health services
  • religion and religious studies
  • specialist studies in education.4

Subject rankings

We are recognised globally as a leader in a range of subject specialisations.

  • We are ranked first in Australia and 34th globally for theology, divinity and religious studies.11
  • We are ranked second in Australia and 32nd in the world for education.5
  • We are ranked fourth in Australia and 14th in the world for nursing. 5
  • We are top 100 in the world for sport science.20 
  • We are one of the top 150 universities in the world for psychology.5
  • We are ranked top 300 in the world for arts and humanities.12

Student satisfaction

ACU provides a student experience like no other. But don't take our word for it - ask our students.

  • We've been awarded five stars for learner engagement, skills development and graduate salary for our undergraduate students.7
  • We're first in Australia for full-time employment for our postgraduate accounting and business management courses.17
  • We're first in Australia for skills development, learner engagement and teaching quality for our information technology courses.16
  • We're 19th in Australia for the quality of the entire educational experience for undergraduate students.13

Graduate outcomes

With a range of industry partnerships and work-integrated learning options, we're a proud leader in graduate employability.

  • 94 per cent of our undergraduate6 and 95 per cent of our postgraduate coursework21 graduates are employed.
  • We're first in Australia for our graduates' collaborative skills.9
  • We've been awarded five stars for full-time postgraduate employment.7
  • We're equal seventh in Australia for graduate employer satisfaction.9
  • We're first in Australia for full-time graduate employment and top 10 in Australia for graduate salary for our postgraduate accounting and business and management courses.17
  • 100 per cent of our physiotherapy students are employed four months after graduating.15
  • 100 per cent of our postgraduate business graduates are employed.19
  • 98 per cent of our undergraduate occupational therapy graduates are employed.14
  • 98 per cent of our postgraduate nursing graduates are employed.18
  • 98 per cent of our postgraduate teacher education graduates are employed.19
  • 97 per cent of our undergraduate speech pathology graduates are employed.14
  • 95 per cent of our undergraduate early childhood graduates are employed.14
  • 94 per cent of our undergraduate teaching graduates are employed.14
  • 91 per cent of our undergraduate nursing graduates are employed.14
  • 90 per cent of our undergraduate business management graduates are employed.14

Making a difference

Our staff, students and graduates are committed to making a positive impact on the local and international community.

  • We rank first in Australia and second globally for good health and wellbeing (SDG 3).8
  • We're top 20 in Australia for decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).8
  1. Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024. Percentage calculated as ACU's world rank as a proportion of the total number of universities in the world: International Handbook of Universities 2019, Palgrave MacMillan
  2. Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2023
  3. Based on International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) members ranked on Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023
  4. Four-digit FoRs, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2018
  5. Shanghai Ranking, Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023
  6. Graduate Outcomes Survey - Longitudinal 2023, overall employment for domestic undergraduate students
  7. Good Universities Guide 2023/2024
  8. Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023, based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  9. Employer Satisfaction Survey 2022
  10. 2020 US News Best Global Universities
  11. QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023
  12. Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2024
  13. 2022 QILT Student Experience Survey
  14. 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey, overall employment for domestic undergraduates, four months after graduating
  15. 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey, full-time employment for domestic undergraduates, four months after graduating
  16. Good Universities Guide 2023/2024, undergraduate students, computing and information technology field
  17. Good Universities Guide 2023/2024, postgraduate students, accounting and business management fields
  18. 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey, full-time employment for domestic postgraduate coursework, four months after graduating
  19. 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey, employment for domestic postgraduate coursework, four months after graduating
  20. Shanghai Ranking, Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments 2023
  21. Graduate Outcomes Survey - Longitudinal 2023, overall employment for domestic postgraduate coursework students

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