Australia offers a compelling destination for international students thanks to its world-class education system, welcoming multicultural society, and strong emphasis on real-world learning and employability. In terms of numbers, India is now one of the largest source countries: between 2005-23, around 421,993 Indian students had studied in Australia and at the end of 2024 a further 138,190 Indian students were commencing or continuing study in Australia.
With thousands of Indian students already pursuing degrees in Australia, many are drawn to the prestige and opportunities offered by the Group of Eight (Go8), a coalition of Australia’s leading research-intensive universities known for academic rigour, global recognition, and strong industry connections.
The University of Melbourne
THE Australia Ranking: 1
QS World Ranking: 19
Founded in 1853, the University of Melbourne is one of Australia’s oldest universities and has grown into a vibrant community of more than 53,000 students, with roughly 45 % of them coming from overseas.
UMelbourne offers seven broad bachelor degrees under what it calls the “Melbourne curriculum”, namely in Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce, Design, Fine Arts, Music, and Science. (with specialist degrees such as Agriculture and Oral Health also available). The model is built around flexibility and breadth: you begin with a broad undergraduate degree, explore your interests across many study areas, and then specialise (often at the graduate level) in your chosen field.
The University of Sydney
THE Australian Ranking: 2
QS World Ranking: 25
Celebrating 175 years of excellence, the University of Sydney – Australia’s first university, founded in 1850, has evolved into a world-leading institution with more than 70,000 students from over 130 countries.
Research exposure begins early: undergraduates can join the Dean’s Research Scholars Program, work with world-leading academics through Summer Research Scholarships, or collaborate in industry research challenges that tackle issues like renewable energy, AI in healthcare, and social equity. This approach helps students graduate not only job-ready, but research-ready.
Monash University
THE Australian Ranking: 3
QS World Ranking: 36
Founded in 1961, Monash University quickly grew from fewer than 400 students at its Clayton campus to become Australia’s largest university with a global footprint. Today it serves around 86,000 students, has over 17,000 staff, and more than 500,000 alumni globally.
Monash runs a “Summer and Winter Vacation Research Scholarship Program” for undergraduates, where students spend several weeks (e.g., 10 weeks) working with academic researchers and receive a scholarship to gain hands-on research experience. The “Research, Experimentation and Discovery (RED)” unit is open to second- and third-year undergraduates across all faculties, allowing them to join interdisciplinary research teams on real Monash projects.
The Australian National University
THE Australian Ranking: 4
QS World Ranking: 32
Founded by an Act of the Australian Parliament in 1946, ANU was established with a national mission: to support Australia’s post-war development, advance research, and deepen our understanding of ourselves and our region.
As an undergraduate you can take part in research. For example, the university runs undergraduate-level publication opportunities and encourages students to contribute original work and even present at conferences. There are also dedicated “Grand Challenges” and major institutes bridging disciplines – from climate, energy & disaster solutions to artificial intelligence, agrifood innovation and water futures. For Indian students in particular, ANU’s “Future Research Talent” awards allow top candidates from India to engage in 10-12 week summer research projects in STEM and allied disciplines at ANU.
UNSW Sydney
THE Australian Ranking: 5
QS World Ranking: 20
Founded in 1949, UNSW Sydney has grown into one of Australia’s leading research-intensive universities, with a commitment to tackling global challenges through innovation and inclusive impact. UNSW’s Work Integrated Learning (WIL) framework offers undergraduates across Science, Engineering, Business, Arts and more the chance to complete industry placements, project-based learning or international internships for credit, sometimes locally or overseas, as part of their degree.
A fun fact – UNSW was the first Australian university to hit over one million engagements on TikTok, making it a leader among universities in digital student-engagement.
The University of Queensland
THE Australian Ranking: 6
QS World Ranking: 42
UQ is a founding member of the edX global massive open online course (MOOC) platform, and among its 65+ MOOC offerings UQ has registered more than 5 million participants from every country in the world.
UQ’s curriculum and facilities tie in closely with its world-class research institutes: for instance, undergraduate students have access to labs and projects linked with institutes such as the Queensland Brain Institute, the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, enabling opportunities to engage in multidisciplinary, cutting-edge research even at the bachelor level.
The University of Western Australia
THE Australian Ranking: 8
QS World Ranking: 77
UWA is a true research-intensive institution, with over 75 research and training centres across a wide range of fields. Among its major research strengths are clean energy transition & sustainable resources, health & biotechnology, and frontier technologies such as AI, data science, cyber-security and space innovation.
For Indian students broadly, one standout stat: In UWA’s most recent annual data, Indian students accounted for about 23.7 % of its international enrolments.
The University of Adelaide
THE Australian Ranking: 10
QS World Ranking: 82
Located in the heart of Adelaide, South Australia, it combines historic architecture with modern facilities and serves a diverse student community (with around 30% being international students). UAdelaide is redesigning its curriculum to be modular, digitally-rich and flexible: from 2026 onward, modules (not just full courses) will be shareable across degrees, stackable for micro-credentials, and supported by a consistent digital learning baseline.
A fun fact – The University of Adelaide was the first in Australia to admit women to all degree courses on an equal basis to men in 1881.
Conclusion
Australia’s Group of Eight universities don’t just lead in teaching and research, they are major drivers of innovation and growth.
Source: Study Australia, Universities Australia
