Australian Higher Education Enrolment by State
Across 8 Australian states and territories, total university enrolment reaches 1,461,000 students. The largest higher- education jurisdiction is New South Wales with 458,000 enrolled students across 11 TEQSA-registered universities (31.3% of the national total). Second place goes to Victoria with 422,000 students.
State-level breakdown
| State / Territory | Universities | Total enrolment | Share of national | Avg intl share | Avg QS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 11 | 458,000 | 31.3% | 27.0% | #352 |
| Victoria | 8 | 422,000 | 28.9% | 34.0% | #304 |
| Queensland | 8 | 257,500 | 17.6% | 25.6% | #451 |
| Western Australia | 5 | 149,000 | 10.2% | 26.2% | #413 |
| South Australia | 3 | 91,000 | 6.2% | 26.3% | #263 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2 | 38,500 | 2.6% | 29.5% | #226 |
| Tasmania | 1 | 28,000 | 1.9% | 27.0% | #313 |
| Northern Territory | 1 | 17,000 | 1.2% | 30.0% | #800 |
Enrolment by state
Total higher-education enrolment by state
Sum of enrolment across TEQSA-registered universities (2023 release)
International student concentration
Average international student share by state
Mean of intl_share across each state's universities
What the geography reveals
Australian higher education is heavily concentrated in three states — Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland — collectively hosting more than 75% of national enrolment. The Australian Capital Territory punches above its weight relative to population thanks to ANU and the University of Canberra; the Northern Territory anchors a single provider (Charles Darwin University) serving a vast geographic catchment with a relatively small enrolment.
International student share varies sharply by state. New South Wales and Victoria lead the country in attracting foreign enrolments — driven by the global brand strength of Sydney, UNSW, Melbourne and Monash — while regional and Tasmanian institutions sit at lower international shares, with proportionally higher domestic cohorts.
Methodology
Each state's totals are computed live by aggregating enrolment, international share, and QS rank across all TEQSA-registered universities in our database. The numbers are annual averages or 2023-release totals rather than month-to-month figures. See our methodology page for sourcing and aggregation rules.
Limitations
Our dataset covers TEQSA-registered universities only and excludes non-university higher-education providers, technical and further education institutions, and overseas branch campuses. The QS World University Rankings 2025 cover roughly 80% of our universities; unranked institutions are excluded from the avg-QS column. Enrolment figures reflect the 2023 Department of Education release, the most recent vintage available at publication.
Source: Australian Government Department of Education Higher education statistics — institutional enrolment · 2023
Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds QS World University Rankings 2025 · 2024