The University of Melbourne has been named the most prestigious university in Australia for the second year in a row , according to a global study . With five institutions in the top 100 Australia is ranked equal fourth in the Times Higher Education world-wide reputation rankings . Unlike the university rankings released in October which is based on 13 objective performance indicators , this list interestingly focuses on research and teaching reputation . It is based on the subjective opinions of 10,000 senior academics who are scattered across 142 countries . Scroll down for video . Melbourne University made the top 50 two years in a row with a ranking of 41 . With research initiatives looking at creating a bionic eye and pushing the boundaries of stem cell research , Melbourne , which is the second oldest university in Australia , climbed two places from last year to lead the nation at number 43 . University of Melbourne # 41 . Australian National University # 51-60 . University of Sydney # 51-60 . University of Queensland # 81-90 . Monash University # 91-100 . Acting Vice-Chancellor , Professor Susan Elliott , said she was thankful to the global education community who had recognised the hard work put in by those at the university . “ We ’ re pleased to again measure up so highly against some of the best institutions in the world . These results reflect a global awareness of the University ’ s activity by many of our academic peers. ” . “ The result highlights the strong international connections staff at the University have made over an extended period of time , and is a wonderful endorsement of the significant work our staff are doing to tackle many of the global challenges facing our world today. ” . Just missing the cut for the top 50 is Australian National University and the University of Sydney , who both placed in the 51-60 grouping . Australian National University made the 51-61 grouping beating University of Queensland . University of Sydney also made the top 100 in the 51-61 grouping . The University of Queensland has stayed in the 81-90 bracket with Monash University clawing back to the top 100 taking a spot in the 91-100 bracket . Looking internationally , there are no surprises that Harvard took out the top spot with Cambridge and Oxford following in third and fourth positions respectively . Rounding out the top five the US took a hit as MIT and Stanford dropped from the top three to fourth and fifth . Harvard has been number one since 2011 when the reputation survey started . University of Cambridge moved up from 4th place to 2nd in the 2015 reputation rankings . 1 . Harvard University ( US ) 2 . University of Cambridge ( UK ) 3 . University of Oxford ( UK ) 4 . Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( US ) 5 . Stanford University ( US ) 6 . University of California , Berkeley ( US ) 7 . Princeton University ( US ) 8 . Yale University ( US ) 9 . California Institute of Technology ( US ) 10 . Columbia University ( US ) Rankings editor Phil Baty said over the past 5 years we have seen a fairly stable ranking for Australian universities , ignoring a slight dip last year . He argued last year ’ s poor performance could have been partly due to the announcement of budget cuts that could have directly influenced universities research capabilities . Although he claims the current deregulation debate may have boosted the country ’ s position in 2015 . “ Talking about the kind of fees they could potentially charge may have raised awareness of the top Australian universities , ” he said . Australian institutions also work closely with Asian universities which he claims are less well known by European and US academics . China gained ground in the 2015 reputation rankings , with Tsinghua University rising ten places to 26 and Peking rising from 41 to 32 .
Australian universities ranked fourth overall in reputation . Melbourne University ranked at 41 globally , jumping two spots from the past 5 years . Australian National Uni and University of Sydney ranked in 51-60 . Top three universities are Harvard , Cambridge and Oxford .