Key statistics

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

• ACU at a glance
• World rankings
• Research excellence
• Subject rankings
• Student satisfaction
• Graduate outcomes
• Making a difference

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 39 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 14^th in the world for nursing, and sixth in Australia. ⁵
• We are one of the top 50 universities in the world for education, and fourth in Australia.⁵
• We are one of the top 150 universities in the world for psychology.⁵
• We are one of the top 300 universities in the world for law.⁵
• We are ranked first in Australia and 34^th globally for theology, divinity and religious studies.¹¹
• We are ranked 251 – 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 starting salary for our undergraduate students.⁷
  
• We're 10th 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.

• We're first in Australia for our graduates' collaborative skills.⁹
• We’re top seven in Australia for graduate employment.6
• We’ve been awarded five stars for full-time postgraduate employment.7
• We're equal seventh in Australia for graduate employer satisfaction.9

Making a difference

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

• We rank second globally for good health and wellbeing (SDG 3).8
• We rank 35 globally for decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).8

¹ Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023. 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 2022
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 2022
⁶ Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal 2022, medium-term, full-time employment 2020–2022 for domestic undergraduate students
⁷ Good Universities Guide 2023
⁸ Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2022, 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 2023
¹³ 2021 QILT Student Experience Survey