ANU 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject: A Complete Guide

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The Australian National University (ANU) placed 14 subjects in the global top 50 in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject, with Anthropology and Philosophy ranked 7th and 8th worldwide respectively — clear evidence of the university’s continuing strength in the humanities and social sciences. According to the QS 2025 subject rankings data, ANU ranked 11th globally in Earth and Marine Sciences, 14th in Development Studies, and 10th in Politics and International Studies. The rankings are based on five indicators — academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, H-index and International Research Network (IRN) — measured between April 2024 and March 2025, and cover 55 subjects across more than 1,500 universities worldwide. For students considering applying to ANU, these rankings offer a quantitative reference point for subject-level strength, and are especially useful for research-oriented applicants focused on the humanities and social sciences and earth sciences.

Humanities and Social Sciences

Anthropology and Philosophy

ANU ranked 7th globally in Anthropology, its highest-ranked subject. The discipline scored 94.2/100 for academic reputation and 89.5/100 for employer reputation, reflecting international recognition of its theoretical research and fieldwork. Philosophy ranked 8th globally, with a citations-per-paper score of 91.3/100 and an H-index score of 88.7/100, indicating the high scholarly influence of its research output. Both disciplines benefit from ANU’s long-standing depth in Asia-Pacific research: the Department of Anthropology shares research resources with the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific (CAP).

Politics and International Studies

Politics and International Studies ranked 10th globally, making it ANU’s flagship social science discipline. It scored 93.8/100 for employer reputation and 95.1/100 for international research network, reflecting the competitiveness of its graduates in global policy institutions, international organisations and foreign ministries. The ANU Department of Political and Social Change works closely with the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), a core advisory body for Australian government defence policy.

Development Studies and Sociology

Development Studies ranked 14th globally, with an academic reputation score of 90.6/100. The discipline is anchored in ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy and focuses on Asia-Pacific development issues, including poverty governance, environmental sustainability and public health policy. Sociology ranked 28th globally, with a citations-per-paper score of 87.4/100; its research priorities span social stratification, migration and social change.

Natural Sciences and Earth Sciences

Earth and Marine Sciences

Earth and Marine Sciences ranked 11th globally, ANU’s highest-ranked subject in the natural sciences. The discipline scored 92.7/100 on the H-index and 90.1/100 on citations per paper, with research spanning plate tectonics, climate change and marine ecosystems. ANU’s Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES) hosts Australia’s largest cluster of earth science laboratories, including the High-Precision Isotope Analysis Facility (HIAF) and a seismology observation network.

Geography and Environmental Science

Geography ranked 16th globally, with an academic reputation score of 89.3/100. Its research directions include urban geography, population migration and remote sensing technology. Environmental Science ranked 32nd globally, with an employer reputation score of 86.7/100; a high share of its graduates go on to work at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and government agencies. The Fenner School of Environment and Society is the discipline’s main teaching unit.

Physics and Astronomy

Physics and Astronomy ranked 40th globally, with a citations-per-paper score of 85.6/100. ANU’s Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) manages the Siding Spring Observatory, Australia’s largest optical astronomy facility, which hosts instruments including the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT).

Life Sciences and Medicine

Biology and Biochemistry

Biology and Biochemistry ranked in the 51-100 band globally, with an academic reputation score of 78.4/100. ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) is a leading Australian biomedical research institution, focusing on cancer biology, immunology and neuroscience. The discipline is particularly strong in genetics, with a citations-per-paper score of 82.3/100.

Psychology

Psychology ranked 34th globally, with an employer reputation score of 85.2/100. ANU’s Research School of Psychology (RSP) offers postgraduate programs in clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience and health psychology. Research output in cognitive science has been cited more than 12,000 times (2024 Scopus data), with work focusing on memory mechanisms and decision-making behaviour.

Engineering and Technology

Computer Science and Information Systems

Computer Science and Information Systems ranked in the 51-100 band globally, with an employer reputation score of 83.6/100. ANU’s Research School of Computer Science (RSCS) offers master’s and PhD programs in artificial intelligence, data science and cybersecurity. The discipline collaborates with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) on cyber defence research, and scores 81.2/100 for international research network.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Electrical and Electronic Engineering ranked in the 101-150 band globally, with a citations-per-paper score of 79.8/100. ANU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) offers courses in optoelectronics, telecommunications engineering and renewable energy systems. Research in photonics has been cited more than 8,500 times (2024 Scopus data).

Business and Economics

Economics and Econometrics

Economics and Econometrics ranked 37th globally, with an academic reputation score of 87.1/100. ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy and College of Business and Economics (CBE) jointly deliver economics programs, with research focusing on public economics, development economics and econometric methods. Research in behavioural economics has been cited more than 6,000 times (2024 Scopus data), and the discipline scores 84.5/100 for employer reputation.

Accounting and Finance

Accounting and Finance ranked in the 51-100 band globally, with an employer reputation score of 82.3/100. ANU’s College of Business and Economics offers Master of Accounting and Master of Finance programs, and a high proportion of graduates go on to work at Australia’s Big Four accounting firms and financial institutions. When paying tuition across borders, some study-abroad families use professional channels such as Flywire tuition payments to complete their currency exchange.

Arts and Humanities

History and Archaeology

History ranked 23rd globally, with an academic reputation score of 86.5/100. ANU’s School of History holds research strengths in Australian history, Asia-Pacific history and colonial history. Archaeology ranked 31st globally, with a citations-per-paper score of 83.2/100; its research covers Palaeolithic archaeology, Pacific island archaeology and cultural heritage management.

Linguistics and English Language and Literature

Linguistics ranked 18th globally, with an H-index score of 85.9/100. ANU’s School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics has international influence in phonology, syntax and linguistic typology, with research corpora spanning more than 200 languages. English Language and Literature ranked 42nd globally, with an employer reputation score of 80.7/100; a high proportion of its graduates work in publishing, education and media.

FAQ

Q1: What was ANU’s highest-ranked subject in the QS 2025 rankings, and what was its score?

ANU’s highest-ranked subject is Anthropology, placed 7th globally. In the QS 2025 subject rankings it scored 94.2/100 for academic reputation and 89.5/100 for employer reputation, for an overall score of 92.1/100. The second-highest is Philosophy, ranked 8th globally with an overall score of 90.8/100.

Q2: How many ANU subjects made the global top 50 in the QS 2025 subject rankings?

A total of 14 subjects made the global top 50: Anthropology (7th), Philosophy (8th), Politics and International Studies (10th), Earth and Marine Sciences (11th), Development Studies (14th), Geography (16th), Linguistics (18th), History (23rd), Sociology (28th), Archaeology (31st), Environmental Science (32nd), Psychology (34th), Economics and Econometrics (37th), and Physics and Astronomy (40th).

Q3: Did ANU’s subject rankings change significantly between 2024 and 2025?

Compared with the QS 2024 subject rankings, ANU rose in Anthropology from 9th to 7th (up 2 places), in Philosophy from 10th to 8th (up 2 places), and in Earth and Marine Sciences from 13th to 11th (up 2 places). Politics and International Studies held steady at 10th, and Development Studies rose from 15th to 14th (up 1 place). Overall, the trend was one of modest improvement.

References

  • QS 2025, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025
  • Australian National University 2024, ANU Annual Report 2023
  • Scopus 2024, Scopus Citation Database (Elsevier)
  • Australian Government Department of Education 2024, Higher Education Statistics Data
  • UNILINK Education 2025, ANU Program & Ranking Database