University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), headquartered in Toowoomba, Australia, climbed past 240 positions in QS between the 2023 and 2024 editions, the largest single-year move by any Australian university that cycle. It now ranks #411 in QS World University Rankings 2027, with Materials Science its sharpest disciplinary placement at #128 in US News 2025-2026.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #411 globally, #23 in Australia.
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #390 globally, #28 in Australia.
- Times Higher Education 2026: #351-400 globally, #23 in Australia.
- US News Best Global Universities 2025-2026: #278 globally, #20 in Australia and New Zealand.
What this means for Indian applicants: UniSQ’s US News rank (#278) sits 133 positions ahead of its QS rank (#411), signalling stronger citation output than employer-facing academic profile. Its QS Citations per Faculty score climbed 40 places in one year to #103 globally, while overall QS placement held flat. For an Indian student picking affordable Australian engineering, IT or business with research output, UniSQ fits the mid-tier bracket, not the top-100 group.
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Table of Contents
- University of Southern Queensland Overall Rankings 2027
- University of Southern Queensland Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
- University of Southern Queensland QS World University Rankings 2027
- Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of University of Southern Queensland
- University of Southern Queensland Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026
- University of Southern Queensland ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings 2025
- University of Southern Queensland Other Global Rankings
- University of Southern Queensland Subject Rankings
- University of Southern Queensland Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
- FAQs
University of Southern Queensland Overall Rankings 2027
On the four bodies where UniSQ has a current edition rank, the spread runs from #278 to #411, a 133-position gap that tells two different stories about the same institution.
| Ranking Body and Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 | #390 of 824 globally; #28 in Australia |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #411 globally; #23 in Australia |
| Times Higher Education (THE) 2026 | #351-400 globally; #23 in Australia |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 | #601-700 globally |
| US News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 | #345 globally |
The US News rank (#345) is the strongest signal of research output, while the QS overall (#411) sits closest to where Indian applicants weigh academic reputation. That 66-position cross-body gap means UniSQ alumni carry stronger research backing than employer-brand recall, a useful detail for IT or engineering CV positioning.
Key insight: THE places UniSQ at #23 of 37 Australian universities, the strongest national position on any global body for the university.
Read More: University of Southern Queensland Admissions
University of Southern Queensland Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
Indian applicants picking between Australia’s mid-tier universities care about three signals: research strength, subject-specific rank and how the brand stacks up against home-country alternatives like IIT Bombay.
| Ranking Signal | Rank | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS overall trend | #411 (2027), held within #396-#411 for 3 editions |
Predictable degree value, Settled brand currency over 3 years. |
| US News research rank | #345 globally | Citation strength supports MS and PhD pipeline credibility. |
| Materials Science (US News) | #128 worldwide | Strongest single-subject signal for engineering and materials applicants. |
| Compared with IIT Bombay (QS 2027) | IIT Bombay #134, UniSQ #411 |
UniSQ is not an IIT-grade brand, But offers a verifiable Australian degree exit with a lower entry bar. |
| Three-body Australia rank | #14 (THE), #20 (US News A/NZ), #23 (QS) |
Sits in the top half of every Australia national list across editions. |
The 277-position gap between IIT Bombay (#134) and UniSQ (#411) on QS 2027 is not a quality verdict, it is an entry-bar reality. Indian applicants who clear UniSQ’s admission cutoff trade an IIT-grade brand for a verified Australia-based degree with research credentials in Materials and Engineering.
Key insight
- Subject vs. overall lift: Materials Science (#128 in US News) sits 283 places above the overall QS rank (#411), the single largest gap on any UniSQ ranking.
- Five-edition QS climb: #651-700 (2023) to #411 (2027), a near-240-position improvement that has now stabilised inside a 15-position band.
- US News research signal: 26-place climb from #304 (2024) to #278 (2025-2026) on a body that weighs citation impact above reputation.
University of Southern Queensland QS World University Rankings 2027
UniSQ ranks #411 in QS World University Rankings 2027, which ranks universities on academic reputation, employer opinion, citations, faculty-to-student ratio and international diversity. Its overall QS placement has held within a 15-position band since the 2024 edition, after the 240-position jump from #651-700 in 2023 to #410 in 2024.
| Year | University of Southern Queensland QS World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #411 |
| 2026 | #410 |
| 2025 | #396 |
| 2024 | #410 |
| 2023 | #651-700 |
After the 2023 to 2024 climb, UniSQ has stayed between #396 and #411 for three editions, signalling that its methodology-driven gains have settled rather than reversed. That three-year stability inside a 15-position band is unusual for a university outside the global top 300 and gives Indian applicants a reliable planning anchor.
Key insight: The QS Citations per Faculty metric climbed 40 places in the 2026 edition to #103 worldwide, the single sharpest QS sub-score for the university. This is the figure that held the overall rank flat in 2027 despite QS assessing 50 percent more institutions than the prior cycle.
Read More: University of Southern Queensland Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of the University of Southern Queensland
Collegedunia Study Abroad runs two parallel rankings: one for the university overall and one for the courses it offers, where UniSQ shows a tighter percentile in the course list than in the raw global pool.
| Category | Collegedunia Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad Global Ranking 2026 | #390 of 824 |
| Collegedunia Study Abroad Engineering Ranking 2026 | #222 of 370 |
| Collegedunia Study Abroad Australia 2026 | #28 of 46 |
UniSQ sits in the 47th percentile of CD’s global pool (#390 of 824) but rises into the top 60th percentile in the Top Recommended Courses list (#222 of 370). For Indian applicants screening by course quality first and university brand second, the higher subject-list position is the more relevant signal of degree fit.
Note for Indian applicants: The Collegedunia Australia rank (#28 of 46) sits closer to the middle of the Australia pool than the THE national rank (#14 of 37) suggests. Treat the CD national position as the floor and the THE position as the ceiling when comparing UniSQ against other Australian universities.
Check out the Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings 2026
University of Southern Queensland Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026
Times Higher Education has parked UniSQ in the same #351-400 band for three straight editions, a flat read that masks a one-edition jump into the #301-350 band in 2023. THE measures teaching, research environment, citations, industry income and international outlook.
| Year | University of Southern Queensland THE World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #351-400 |
| 2025 | #351-400 |
| 2024 | #351-400 |
| 2023 | #301-350 |
| 2022 | #401-500 |
The 2023 spike into #301-350 was the high-water mark, and UniSQ has slipped one band since but has not fallen back to the 2022 #401-500 placement. That band stability over 3 years matters more than month-to-month positioning for Indian degree-holders defending their credential five years after graduation.
What it signals: UniSQ is the #14 of 37 Australian university in THE 2026, the strongest national rank on any global body. For Indian applicants choosing between mid-tier Australian universities, that THE national position is the cleanest single signal of degree value.
University of Southern Queensland ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings 2025
ARWU, which ranks universities on Nobel laureate and Fields medal alumni alongside highly-cited research output, produces band-to-band moves for mid-tier universities like UniSQ depending on cohort cut-offs each year.
| Year | University of Southern Queensland ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #601-700 |
| 2024 | #601-700 |
| 2023 | #901-1000 |
| 2022 | #501-600 |
| 2021 | #601-700 |
The 2023 drop into #901-1000 is an outlier explained by ARWU’s discontinuous band logic, and the rebound to #601-700 in 2024 confirms it was a cut-off artifact rather than a research-quality collapse. For Indian applicants, ARWU’s institutional band matters less than its consistent 8-subject coverage in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) list.
India-relevance: ARWU GRAS places UniSQ’s Biomedical Engineering at #151-200 and Education at #151-200, both inside their global top 200. These are stronger applicant-facing signals than the broad institutional band of #601-700.
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University of Southern Queensland Other Global Rankings
US News and the THE Young Universities list weigh research output and university age more heavily than QS or THE World, which is why UniSQ ranks higher on both than on its QS overall.
| Ranking Body and Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|
| US News Best Global Universities 2026-2028 | #345 |
| US News Best Global Universities 2025 | #278 |
| THE Young Universities (under 50 years), latest | Top 58 worldwide |
The 26-position US News climb between the 2024 and 2025-2026 editions is the largest single-year movement on any global body in UniSQ’s recent history. That gain came from citation impact, the same lever that drove the 40-place QS Citations per Faculty jump in the same window.
Trend signal: Two of the three sub-#400 placements UniSQ now holds (US News #278 and THE Young Universities Top 58) reward research output and university maturity, not academic reputation. For Indian applicants targeting a research-track Master or PhD, those two positions matter more than the QS overall.
Check out the top universities in Australia, as per the US News
University of Southern Queensland Subject Rankings
UniSQ’s subject placements outrank its overall rank on every body that publishes a subject list. The largest single gap sits in Materials Science (#128 in US News against #411 in QS overall), a 283-position lift that points to genuine depth in one discipline.
Key insight
- Highest subject: Materials Science at #128 in US News 2025-2026, the single sharpest disciplinary placement.
- Top-200 ARWU subjects: Biomedical Engineering and Education both at #151-200 in ARWU GRAS 2025.
- THE top-band subjects: Life Sciences and Physical Sciences at #201-250 in THE 2026, the strongest THE subject bands.
- Engineering cross-body coverage: verified rank on all three bodies, US News #198, ARWU #201-300 and THE #251-300.
- Eight ARWU GRAS subjects: covering Materials, Civil, Chemical, Biomedical, AI, Education, Atmospheric Science and Physics.
University of Southern Queensland Materials Science Subject Ranking
Materials Science is UniSQ’s highest disciplinary placement on any official ranking, driven by sustained citation output in materials engineering and renewable energy research.
| Ranking Body | Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|---|
| US News Materials Science | 2026-2027 | #128 |
| ARWU GRAS Materials Science and Engineering | 2025 | #201-300 |
The gap between US News (#128) and ARWU (#201-300) is methodology-driven: US News weighs citation impact, ARWU weighs highly-cited researchers and journal placements. For Indian applicants targeting MS in Materials Engineering, the US News signal carries more weight in PhD admissions abroad.
What it signals: The #128 US News placement puts UniSQ Materials Science inside the global top 150, a band that includes universities ranked 200 places higher than UniSQ overall. The materials track is the strongest applicant-facing pitch the university has.
Check out the top Material Science universities and colleges in Australia
University of Southern Queensland Engineering Subject Ranking
Engineering is the only discipline where UniSQ holds a verified rank on all three publishing bodies, which makes cross-body validation possible.
| Ranking Body | Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|---|
| US News Engineering | 2026-2027 | #198 |
| ARWU GRAS (Civil, Chemical engineering) | 2025 | #201-300 |
| THE Engineering | 2026 | #251-300 |
US News (#198) ranks UniSQ Engineering 213 places ahead of its overall QS rank (#411), a strong cross-body lift. For Indian applicants pursuing Master of Engineering, that subject-vs-overall delta is the most important number on the page.
India-relevance: ARWU lists UniSQ Biomedical Engineering at #151-200, the strongest single engineering subject placement. This is the subject Indian applicants in biomedical or healthcare-engineering should anchor an SOP around.
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University of Southern Queensland Computer Science Subject Ranking
Computer Science sits in the middle of UniSQ’s subject pack, stronger than its overall QS rank, weaker than its Materials or Engineering placements.
| Ranking Body | Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|---|
| US News Computer Science | 2026-2027 | #436 |
| ARWU GRAS Artificial Intelligence | 2025 | #201-300 |
| THE Computer Science | 2026 | #301-400 |
The 50 to 100 place gap between US News (#436) and THE (#301-400) is normal for CS, where THE includes more universities in its CS pool. For Indian applicants in Master of Cyber Security or Information Systems, the ARWU AI rank (#201-300) is a sharper proxy for research depth.
Trend signal: The ARWU AI placement of #201-300 sits more than 100 positions ahead of the US News CS rank (#436). That gap signals Indian applicants in AI, Machine Learning or Cyber Security tracks will find stronger research supervision than the broad CS rank suggests.
Check out the top Computer Science universities in Australia
University of Southern Queensland Education Subject Ranking
Education is UniSQ’s other top-200 subject, driven by sustained output in distance-learning pedagogy and rural-Australia teacher training research.
| Ranking Body | Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ARWU GRAS Education | 2025 | #151-200 |
| THE Education Studies | 2026 | #301-400 |
The ARWU #151-200 is the stronger signal because ARWU’s education list runs on citation density per faculty, where UniSQ punches above its institutional size. Indian applicants targeting Master of Education or research pathways in pedagogy should weight this rank over the THE band.
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University of Southern Queensland Business and Economics Subject Ranking
Business and Economics is the discipline where UniSQ’s accreditation portfolio matters more than the raw ranking band, since AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS together signal degree quality independently.
| Ranking Body | Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|---|
| THE Business and Economics | 2026 | #301-400 |
The #301-400 THE band sits roughly 50 places ahead of UniSQ’s overall THE position (#351-400), a marginal lift rather than a major one. The triple-accreditation profile (AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS) is the harder fact for an Indian MBA applicant to evaluate UniSQ’s business school against.
University of Southern Queensland Other Ranked Subjects
Beyond the four flagship disciplines, UniSQ holds verified placements across Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Psychology, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities.
| Subject | Ranking Body and Edition | University of Southern Queensland Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life Sciences | THE 2026 | #201-250 |
| Physical Sciences | THE 2026 | #201-250 |
| Atmospheric Science | ARWU GRAS 2025 | #301-400 |
| Psychology | THE 2026 | #301-400 |
| Social Sciences | THE 2026 | #301-400 |
| Arts and Humanities | THE 2026 | #401-500 |
| Medical and Health | THE 2026 | #401-500 |
| Environment and Ecology | US News 2025-2026 | #459 |
| Physics | ARWU GRAS 2025 | #401-500 |
Life Sciences and Physical Sciences both sit at #201-250 in THE 2026, the second-strongest THE bands after Engineering. For Indian applicants in Master of Science (Biology, Astrophysics or Climate Science), those two bands sit roughly 150 places ahead of UniSQ’s THE overall, a meaningful subject-vs-overall lift.
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University of Southern Queensland Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
UniSQ’s rankings read better for Indian engineering, materials and IT applicants than for general MBA or law candidates. The university’s top Indian-popular programs sit inside the subject lists where its ranks are sharpest.
Popular University of Southern Queensland programs for Indian applicants and the ranking signal behind each:
- Master of Cyber Security: backed by US News Computer Science #436 and ARWU GRAS Artificial Intelligence #201-300.
- Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Materials): backed by US News Engineering #198 and ARWU GRAS Materials Science #201-300.
- Master of Information Systems: shares the CS and AI credentials of the Cyber Security stream.
- Master of Science (Agricultural Science): backed by ARWU Atmospheric Science #301-400 and Australia’s strongest applied agritech research base.
| India-Relevant Signal | Rank | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Closest Indian alternative (QS 2027) | IIT Bombay #134, UniSQ #411 | 277-position gap is an entry-bar reality, not a quality verdict; UniSQ offers PR pathway IIT cannot. |
| Materials Science vs overall | #128 (US News) vs #411 (QS) | 283-place subject lift signals true depth, not headline branding. |
| Three-year QS stability | #396 to #411 across 3 editions | Predictable degree value 5 years post-graduation. |
| MBA accreditation match | AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS all held | One of a small group of Australian MBA providers with all three. |
| Australia national rank | #23 (THE 2026) | Top half of Australia pool on the body that weighs research and teaching equally. |
The pattern for Indian applicants is clear: subject ranks lift well above the institutional rank in the disciplines Indian students actually pick. Materials Science sits at #128, Engineering at #198 on US News and Biomedical Engineering and Education at #151-200 on ARWU.
Key insight
- Subject-vs-overall lift: Materials Science (#128 in US News) sits 283 places above the overall QS rank (#411), the largest single gap on any UniSQ ranking.
- Peer-tier gap with India: IIT Bombay (QS 2027 #134) sits 277 places ahead, but UniSQ admits applicants with lower entry-bars and adds a post-study work and PR pathway.
- Five-edition QS climb: #651-700 (2023) to #411 (2027), a near-240-position improvement that has now settled inside a 15-position band.
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UniSQ reads as a research-mid-tier Australian university with two subject pockets (Materials Science and Engineering) ranked inside the global top 200. Education sits close behind at the ARWU GRAS #151-200 band. For Indian applicants the practical read is straightforward: pick UniSQ for the subject signal and the Australia post-study pathway, not for the institutional brand.
IIT Bombay and the Group of Eight Australian universities sit 200 to 300 positions ahead on the QS overall. The QS Citations per Faculty rank of #103 worldwide is the strongest counter to the mid-#400 overall number. That is the right figure to quote in a Statement of Purpose targeting Australian research-track admissions.
University of Southern Queensland Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS World University Rankings position of University of Southern Queensland in 2027?
Ans. University of Southern Queensland ranks #411 in QS World University Rankings 2027, placing #23 of 32 Australian universities in the QS pool. Its QS overall has held inside the #396-#411 band for three consecutive editions.
Ques. Where does the University of Southern Queensland rank in Australia?
Ans. UniSQ sits at #23 in Australia in QS 2027, #14 in Australia in THE 2026 and #20 in Australia and New Zealand in US News 2025-2026. The THE national rank is the strongest of the three positions.
Ques. What is the University of Southern Queensland THE World University Rankings position?
Ans. University of Southern Queensland ranks in the #351-400 band in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026. The university has held this band for three editions after a one-edition peak at #301-350 in 2023.
Ques. Which subjects is the University of Southern Queensland ranked highest in?
Ans. Materials Science at #128 in US News 2025-2026 is University of Southern Queensland’s highest verified subject rank. Biomedical Engineering and Education both at #151-200 in ARWU GRAS 2025 are the next two. Engineering also ranks #198 in US News 2025-2026.
Ques. Is the University of Southern Queensland a good university for Indian students based on rankings?
Ans. For Indian applicants in engineering, materials, IT and cyber security, UniSQ’s subject ranks (#128 Materials Science, #198 Engineering) sit 200 or more places above its overall QS rank (#411), which is a strong signal. For general MBA or law it sits in the mid-#400 band, less competitive than top-100 alternatives but with triple-accredited business school credentials.
Ques. How has the University of Southern Queensland QS ranking changed over the last 5 years?
Ans. University of Southern Queensland climbed from #651-700 in QS 2023 to #410 in QS 2024, then settled inside the #396-#411 band across the 2025, 2026 and 2027 editions. The 240-position climb between 2023 and 2024 was the largest jump by any Australian university that cycle.
Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of the University of Southern Queensland?
Ans. University of Southern Queensland is ranked #390 of 824 in Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings 2026 globally and #28 of 46 in Australia. It also ranks #222 of 370 in Collegedunia’s Top Recommended Courses list for 2026.










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