Australian National University

Ignite your intellect and shape your world at The Australian National University (ANU)

The Australian National University (ANU) sits at the heart of Australia’s capital, Canberra, on a beautiful garden campus where people from around the world gather to research and study.

As Australia’s only national university, we have more than 75 years’ worth of connections with government and industry. Studying at ANU gives you the opportunity to connect with world-recognised experts and work on solving tomorrow’s big questions. With our five stars for student-to-staff ratio and small class sizes, you’ll be receiving close attention and mentoring.

At ANU, you can also intern with Australian government departments, non-government organisations and some of Australia’s biggest private employers.

It’s no wonder we produce Australia’s most employable graduates (Times Higher Education Global University Employability Rankings 2023-2024). Our unmissable work-ready opportunities are coupled with a strong commitment to teaching excellence: we have more subjects in the world's Top 20 than any other Australian university.

And at ANU, you have the flexibility to follow your heart and your head. As well as 50 single degrees, we offer 599 flexible double degree combinations that can see you graduate with two qualifications. ANU lets you deepen your specialisation or widen your knowledge base and equips you to enter the workforce ahead of the competition.

Your life at ANU

Students come to us from all over the world. ANU is proud to be Australia’s most international university (Times Higher Education Rankings 2023) and we encourage diversity of people and ideas. Our scholarships, some of which we automatically consider you for when you apply, can help you come to ANU whatever your circumstances. Of particular interest to you may be the Chancellor’s International Scholarship, a fee-reducing scholarship for academically outstanding students.

ANU is home to over 170 different clubs, covering interests from rock climbing to archaeology. Plus, there are cultural and professional clubs to help you network and find people like you. Whatever your interest, there’s a club at ANU for you.
You need a safe and welcoming place to stay, so all first-year students are guaranteed a spot in one of our lively student residences. These are perfect places to make new friends while you settle in and are within walking or commuting distance of the campus.

You’ll find a vibrant student life here. After class, meet up with your friends for a meal at one of the many restaurants in our central Kambri precinct. Or head into the city to unwind – it’s just a 10-minute walk away from the university.
With a quarter of Canberra’s population being students and a median age of 35, you’ll be stepping out into a vibrant and welcoming place with plenty to do. Discover beautiful green spaces, enjoy delicious food from around the world and keep busy through the year with tons of festivals and cultural events.

When you’re on campus, you’ll learn in ultramodern facilities. Argue in our moot court, create music in our recording studio, build prototypes in our maker space and study the skies from our observatories.
Among our impressive facilities is a heavy ion accelerator, the most powerful in Australia and one of the three highest-voltage ion accelerators in the world. It lets scientists look inside an atom and teachers use it for hands-on training in nuclear physics.

While you’ll love our central Acton campus, we have other sites across Australia that your degree could take you to. These include the Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, the Kioloa Coastal Campus in New South Wales and the North Australia Research Unit in the Northern Territory. Many of our degrees put you out into the field for hands-on learning, giving you a deeper experience than a lecture hall alone.

Foundational research

We have a proud history of academic excellence, with six Nobel laureates among staff and alumni.

At the core of great teaching at ANU is great research. Our internationally renowned academics are the ones who write the textbooks, and their cutting-edge research will feature in your study program.

With our position as Australia’s national university, those teachers and researchers are the same academics who advise the government on the most important issues of the day, shaping Australian policy.

Our commitment to great research is why ANU is the only Australian university to be a member of the International Alliance of Research Universities.

Place yourself at the heart of Australia’s capital, in our vibrant community of future world leaders, by studying at ANU.