Australian Catholic University (ACU)
CRICOS Code 00004G
In a world of mass production, Australian Catholic University (ACU) stands for meaningful education, rewarding research, and life-changing community engagement.
Our mission and values form the core of who we are as a Catholic organisation. Discover our history, structure, and our journey to be a leader in research and teaching – a goal we’re already achieving as a top 3% world-ranked university.
Reputation and ranking
We’re young, but we’re making our mark on the world stage. See how ACU measures up in university rankings, research quality, graduate outcomes, subject strengths and more.
As a young institution focused on embedding excellence, we’ve achieved great things. And we’ve done it with a bigger purpose in mind, helping our students and communities flourish.
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
Take a look at the numbers that tell the ACU story:
•34,834 students (2018)
•more than 100,000 alumni (2019)
•4,601 international students enrolled from 103 countries (2018)
•more than 200 international partners
•1,000 ACU students have studied at our Rome Campus
•more than 25% ACU domestic undergraduate students study abroad (2017)
•91% of ACU domestic graduates employed (2018, domestic undergraduate students).
World rankings
We’re proud to be positioned among the top universities in the world.
•We are ranked in the top 2% of all universities worldwide.
•We are ranked in the top 80 in the Asia-Pacific region.
•We are ranked 351-400 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
•We are ranked as one of the top 100 young universities in the world.
•We are included in the top 40 of Generation Y universities.
•We are one of the top 10 Catholic universities globally.
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. 5
Subject rankings
We are recognised globally as a leader in a range of subject specialisations.
•We are ranked seventh in sport science in Australia and 26th globally.6
•We are ranked 32nd in the world for nursing, and seventh in Australia. 7
•We are one of the top 75 universities in the world for education, and fourth in Australia.7
•We are one of the top 200 universities in the world for psychology.15 16
•We are ranked 201–250 in the world for arts and humanities.16
Student satisfaction
ACU provides a student experience like no other. But don’t take our word for it – ask our students.
•We’re top six for skills development and learner engagement.8
89% international student satisfaction for program content.9
•We’ve been awarded five stars for learner engagement and skills development.11
Our campuses are exceptional, and we received five stars for facilities.13
•We have a global focus and received five stars for internationalisation.13
Graduate outcomes
With a range of industry partnerships and work integrated learning options, we’re a proud leader in graduate employability.
•We’re one of the top three universities in Australia for graduate employment.10
•We’ve been awarded five stars for full-time employment11 and have been recognised globally with five stars for employability.13
91% of ACU graduates are employed overall, with 77% in full-time employment (2018, domestic undergraduate students).10
•Employers are more satisfied with ACU graduates than graduates of other Australian universities - •We're first in Australia for employer satisfaction.14
Making a difference
Our staff, students and graduates are committed to making a positive impact on the local and international community.
•We rank 101–200 in the world for our positive impact on society.12
•We rank 8 globally for good health and wellbeing (SDG 3).12
•We rank 86 globally for quality education (SDG 4).12
•We rank 23 globally for gender equality (SDG 5).12
•We rank 46 globally for peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16).12
•Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020. 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
•Times Higher Education Asia-Pacific University Rankings 2019
•Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2019, where “young universities” are defined to be less than 50 years old and “Generation Y universities” are universities established between 1986 and 1999
•Based on International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) members ranked on Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
•Four-digit FoRs, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2018
•Academic Ranking of World Universities, Special Focus Institution Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments 2018
•Academic Ranking of World Universities, Subject Rankings 2019
•Student Experience Survey, undergraduate cohort 2017
•International Student Barometer 2016
•Graduate Outcomes Survey, overall employment rate, domestic undergraduate cohort, 2019
•Good Universities Guide2020
•Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2020, based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
•QS Stars 2019
•Employer Satisfaction Survey, undergraduate cohort, 2018, universities with more than 25 respondents
•15 2020 US News Best Global Universities
•16 Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020 by Subject