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42 universities on the official list

Universities in Australia

All 42 as the Australian Government lists them — with the provider code that decides whether one may enrol you.

Where this list comes from

Australia answers “which institutions are universities?” and “may this institution enrol me?” in two different places, and confusing them is how students get hurt. The list of universities is published by the Australian Government through Study Australia, which states that Australia is home to 42 universities, 36 public and 6 private. Whether a particular provider may enrol an overseas student in a particular course is a separate question, answered by CRICOS — in its own words, “the official Australian Government website that lists all Australian education providers that offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas and the courses offered.”

The second register is the one that binds you. A provider can be a genuine Australian university and still not be CRICOS-registered for the exact course you want, and without a CRICOS-registered course there is no Confirmation of Enrolment — which is the document a student visa application is built on. So every institution below carries its CRICOS provider code, and that code, not the name on the brochure, is what you check.

How this list was built, and cross-checked. The 42 names, the campus locations and the website links come from the Study Australia list. The provider codes, the registered institution names and the Government/Private classification come from the CRICOS institution register, which the Department of Education publishes as open data — 1,547 providers, downloaded in full rather than searched one at a time. Every one of the 42 names resolves to a row in that register, and the register's own Government/Private classification independently reproduces Study Australia's 36-and-6 split. Two arms of the same government agreeing is weaker evidence than one register that answers the question outright, and we say so rather than implying a single authority.

Link check. Every one of the 42 official websites was requested on 1 October 2026. Four of them — Australian Catholic University, CQ University, Edith Cowan University and Western Sydney University — refuse automated requests, so their addresses are published on the strength of the Australian Government's own link rather than our own fetch. One, Murdoch University, is published at the university's current address because the address Study Australia links now returns a page titled “Retired content”.

What we could not get. TEQSA, the higher-education regulator, maintains the National Register that holds the formal provider category “Australian University”. That would have been the better single source. Its site returned zero bytes to every request from our environment, as it has on every previous attempt, so nothing on this page is attributed to TEQSA and no claim here rests on it. The gap is named rather than filled.

The 42 Australian universities

Listed alphabetically, in the order the Study Australia list uses. This is not a ranking and no order here implies quality.

  1. Adelaide University

    CRICOS provider code 04249J

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: South Australia (Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Whyalla)

    The university's own site states CRICOS Provider Number 04249J, and the CRICOS register holds a single row under this name with no separate registration for the University of Adelaide or the University of South Australia. If you are holding an older offer or prospectus under either of those names, 04249J is the code to check. Checked 2026-10-01.

  2. Australian Catholic University

    CRICOS provider code 00004G

    Registered as Australian Catholic University Limited. The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) · New South Wales (Sydney) · Queensland (Brisbane) · Victoria (Melbourne, Ballarat)

  3. Australian University of Theology

    CRICOS provider code 02650E

    Registered as Australian University of Theology Limited. The register classifies this provider as privately run.

    Campus location: New South Wales (Sydney)

  4. Australian National University

    CRICOS provider code 00120C

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)

  5. Avondale University

    CRICOS provider code 02731D

    The register classifies this provider as privately run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Lake Macquarie, Sydney)

  6. Bond University

    CRICOS provider code 00017B

    The register classifies this provider as privately run.

    Campus locations: Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast)

  7. Charles Darwin University

    CRICOS provider code 00300K

    Registered as Charles Darwin University (CDU). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Northern Territory (Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine, Palmerston)

  8. Charles Sturt University

    CRICOS provider code 00005F

    Registered as Charles Sturt University (CSU). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) · New South Wales (Albury, Bathurst, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Port Macquarie, Sydney, Wagga Wagga)

  9. CQ University

    CRICOS provider code 00219C

    Registered as Central Queensland University. The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Queensland (Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville) · South Australia (Adelaide) · Victoria (Melbourne) · Western Australia (Perth)

  10. Curtin University

    CRICOS provider code 00301J

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Western Australia (Kalgoorlie, Perth)

  11. Deakin University

    CRICOS provider code 00113B

    Registered as Deakin University (Deakin). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Victoria (Geelong, Melbourne, Warnambool, Werribee)

  12. Edith Cowan University

    CRICOS provider code 00279B

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Western Australia (Bunbury, Perth)

  13. Federation University of Australia

    CRICOS provider code 00103D

    Registered as Federation University Australia. The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Victoria (Ballarat, Churchill, Horsham)

  14. Flinders University

    CRICOS provider code 00114A

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Northern Territory (Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine, Nhulunbuy, Tennant Creek) · South Australia (Adelaide)

  15. Griffith University

    CRICOS provider code 00233E

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast)

  16. James Cook University

    CRICOS provider code 00117J

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Queensland (Brisbane, Cairns, Mackay, Mount Isa, Rockhampton, Thursday Island, Townsville)

  17. Latrobe University

    CRICOS provider code 00115M

    Registered as La Trobe University (La Trobe). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Victoria (Bendigo, Melbourne, Mildura, Shepparton, Wodonga)

  18. Macquarie University

    CRICOS provider code 00002J

    Registered as Macquarie University (Macquarie). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: New South Wales (Sydney)

  19. Monash University

    CRICOS provider code 00008C

    Registered as Monash University (Monash). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Victoria (Frankston, Melbourne)

  20. Murdoch University

    CRICOS provider code 00125J

    Registered as Murdoch University (Murdoch). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Western Australia (Mandurah, Perth)

    The Study Australia list links a Murdoch page that now returns a page titled “Retired content”, checked 2026-10-01, so we link the university's own current site instead. The provider code is unaffected.

  21. Queensland University of Technology

    CRICOS provider code 00213J

    Registered as Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: Queensland (Brisbane)

  22. RMIT University

    CRICOS provider code 00122A

    Registered as Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Victoria (Bendigo, Hamilton, Melbourne)

  23. Southern Cross University

    CRICOS provider code 01241G

    Registered as Southern Cross University (SCU). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Coffs Harbour, Lismore) · Queensland (Gold Coast)

  24. Swinburne University of Technology

    CRICOS provider code 00111D

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: Victoria (Melbourne)

  25. Torrens University Australia

    CRICOS provider code 03389E

    Registered as Torrens University Australia Limited. The register classifies this provider as privately run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Leura, Sydney) · Queensland (Brisbane) · South Australia (Adelaide) · Victoria (Melbourne)

  26. University of Canberra

    CRICOS provider code 00212K

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)

  27. University of Divinity

    CRICOS provider code 01037A

    The register classifies this provider as privately run.

    Campus location: Victoria (Melbourne)

  28. University of Melbourne

    CRICOS provider code 00116K

    Registered as The University of Melbourne (UniMelb). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Victoria (Melbourne (Parkville, Southbank, Burnley and Werribee), Creswick, Dookie, Shepparton)

  29. University of New England

    CRICOS provider code 00003G

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Armidale, Sydney, Tamworth, Taree)

  30. University of New South Wales

    CRICOS provider code 00098G

    Registered as The University of New South Wales (UNSW). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)

  31. University of Newcastle

    CRICOS provider code 00109J

    Registered as The University of Newcastle (UoN). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Central Coast, Newcastle, Port Macquarie)

  32. University of Notre Dame Australia

    CRICOS provider code 01032F

    Registered as The University of Notre Dame Australia. The register classifies this provider as privately run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Western Australia (Broome, Fremantle)

  33. University of Queensland

    CRICOS provider code 00025B

    Registered as The University of Queensland. The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Queensland (Brisbane, Gatton)

  34. University of Southern Queensland

    CRICOS provider code 00244B

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Queensland (Springfield, Stanthorpe, Toowoomba)

    CRICOS provider code 02225MA second CRICOS registration, recorded on the register under the same institution name with the trading name “USQ - Sydney Education Centre”.

    Both the Study Australia list and the CRICOS register call this institution the University of Southern Queensland. Its own site now trades as UniSQ and usq.edu.au redirects to unisq.edu.au, checked 2026-10-01 — the same provider, a newer name.

  35. University of Sydney

    CRICOS provider code 00026A

    Registered as The University of Sydney. The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: New South Wales (Sydney)

  36. University of Tasmania

    CRICOS provider code 00586B

    Registered as University of Tasmania (UTas). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Tasmania (Burnie, Hobart, Launceston)

  37. University of Technology Sydney

    CRICOS provider code 00099F

    Registered as University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus location: New South Wales (Sydney)

  38. University of the Sunshine Coast

    CRICOS provider code 01595D

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Queensland (Fraser Coast, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast)

    The Study Australia list links usc.edu.au, which redirects to unisc.edu.au, checked 2026-10-01. The university trades as UniSC; the register still records it as the University of the Sunshine Coast.

  39. University of Western Australia

    CRICOS provider code 00126G

    Registered as The University of Western Australia (UWA). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: Western Australia (Perth, Albany)

  40. University of Wollongong

    CRICOS provider code 00102E

    Registered as University of Wollongong (UoW). The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Liverpool, Sydney, Wollongong)

  41. Victoria University

    CRICOS provider code 00124K

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Sydney) · Queensland (Brisbane) · Victoria (Melbourne, Werribee)

    CRICOS provider code 02475DA second CRICOS registration the register records under the same institution name, the same trading name and the same city.

  42. Western Sydney University

    CRICOS provider code 00917K

    The register classifies this provider as government-run.

    Campus locations: New South Wales (Hawkesbury, Penrith, Sydney)

How to check a provider before you pay anything

Every step below is done on an Australian Government site, not on ours. Run it on any provider, including ones on this page — and run it on the code printed on your own offer letter rather than the one you read here.

  1. Take the CRICOS provider code from the offer letter itself and look it up in the CRICOS institution search. If the provider is not on CRICOS, it cannot lawfully enrol you as an overseas student, whatever else it is.
  2. Search CRICOS for the exact course named on your offer, under that provider code. A provider registered for some courses is not registered for all of them, and the course registration is what your visa depends on.
  3. Check that the code on your offer belongs to the institution you think you applied to, and not to a differently owned company with a similar name. The register carries separately registered pathway and college businesses whose trading names closely resemble a university's — “The University of Adelaide College” and “Murdoch College”, for example, are both trading names of Kaplan Higher Education Pty Ltd under provider code 03127E, which is not the code of either university. This is the single easiest thing to get wrong.
  4. Confirm the provider will issue you a Confirmation of Enrolment. The student visa application needs it, and no register can substitute for it.
  5. Take fees, entry requirements, English-language requirements and application deadlines from the institution's own admissions page. None of them appear on any register, including this page.

What this page deliberately does not tell you

There are no tuition figures, living-cost estimates, entry grades, English-test scores, application deadlines or ranking positions here, and there will not be. Every one of those is set per course or per institution and revised at least annually, so a number copied onto a third-party page is wrong within months and is worse than no number at all — it looks authoritative while being stale.

We also do not publish the student-capacity figures the CRICOS register carries, or any ordering that implies one of these universities is better than another. Australia has 42 universities across every state and territory, and which of them suits you is a question about a course, a city and a budget, not a question about a league table.

Each institution's own site is linked above, and that is where those answers live. What we can usefully hold still for you is the part that does not change every intake: who the provider is, what the government classifies it as, and the code you use to verify both.

Common questions

How many universities are there in Australia?
Study Australia, the Australian Government's own site for international students, states that Australia is home to 42 universities — 36 public and 6 private. We list all 42 below. The CRICOS institution register independently classifies exactly 36 of them as Government providers and 6 as Private, which is the closest thing to a cross-check these two sources can give each other. Both are linked on this page.
What is a CRICOS provider code, and why does it matter more than the university's name?
It is the identifier the Australian Government gives a provider on the register of institutions permitted to teach overseas students. It matters more than the name because the name is not regulated in the way the code is: the register carries separately registered pathway companies, language centres and college businesses whose trading names closely resemble a university's, and the code is what tells them apart. It is also the thing your Confirmation of Enrolment and your student visa application hang on. Check the code on your own offer letter against the CRICOS search — not against this page.
Can a real Australian university still be unable to enrol me?
Yes, for a specific course. University status and CRICOS course registration are separate things. A provider may be a long-established Australian university and not hold a current CRICOS registration for the exact course you have been offered, and in that case the course cannot support a student visa however good it is. This is why the course search matters as much as the institution search.
Why do some universities here have two CRICOS provider codes?
Because the register records registrations, not institutions. A university that registered a separate teaching entity — a second education centre in another city, for example — can hold more than one code, and both are legitimate. Exactly two of the universities below are in that position, and we show both codes for each. It is another reason to verify the code on your offer rather than assume there is only one.
Do you publish tuition fees, entry scores or rankings for Australian universities?
No. Fees are set per course and revised annually, entry and English-language requirements are set per programme, and we do not publish ranking positions at all. Anything priced, scored or dated belongs on the institution's own admissions page, which is linked for each one. What we publish is the part that stays still: who the provider is and how to check it.
Is a public university better than a private one in Australia?
Not as a rule, and the classification is not a quality signal. “Government” and “Private” are how the CRICOS register records who owns and operates the provider, nothing more. All 42 are universities on the Australian Government's own list of Australian universities. What should drive the decision is the course, where it is taught and what it costs you — not which column the register puts the institution in.