The Australian National University (ANU) is unlike any other university in Australia. Founded in 1946, in a spirit of post-war optimism, our role was to help realise Australia's potential as the world recovered from a global crisis.
That vision, to support the development of national unity and identity, improve our understanding of ourselves and our neighbours, and provide our nation with research capacity amongst the best in the world, and education in areas vital for our future, has been our mission ever since.
It can be difficult work, but it's work we proudly do-because connecting talented people with diverse perspectives, equipping and encouraging them to address the most complex of tomorrow's problems, and ensuring Australia's future is not just our approach-it's also our national role and international responsibility as Australia's national university, and it's a responsibility from which we'll never waver.
Academic Colleges
ANU has seven academic colleges that house a number of schools and research centers that specialize in a range of disciplines - all relevant but some unique in Australia and our region.
- ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences »
- ANU College of Asia & the Pacific »
- ANU College of Business & Economics »
- ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science »
- ANU College of Health & Medicine »
- ANU College of Law »
- ANU College of Science »
Campuses & facilities
You'll find ANU in the inner-city suburb of Acton, Canberra in the ACT. But we also have other campuses in the ACT, NSW and the NT that house some extraordinary facilities that help support our teaching, learning and research.
Strategic planning
The Australian National University is endowed by the nation to bring credit to Australia through the quality of its research, education and contribution to societal transformation. Our strategic planning reflects our priorities and responsibilities to the nation, the region and the world.
Facts about ANU
The Australian National University (ANU), one of the world’s great universities.
Since 1946, we’ve been a national resource on the world stage – a trusted intellectual powerhouse of research and education. For two millennia, our campus and lands have been places for people to gather and share knowledge.
Everything ANU does today – from visionary teaching and internships to transformative research– is helping to solve tomorrow’s problems while advancing Australia’s and the Asia-Pacific region’s capability and position worldwide.
Rankings
A talented community
#34 university in the world
#5 stars for student-to-staff ratio and staff qualifications in Australia
#1 most international university in Australia
#1 most employable graduates in Australia
- Top 10 in the world in six disciplines
- #1 in 13 academic disciplines in Australia
Only Australian member of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU)
- Students from across Australia and 100 countries
- 10,252 undergraduate students
- 7,128 postgraduate students
A university in the heart of Canberra, the nation’s capital
- Canberra’s beauty, accessibility and friendliness make it the perfect place to live and study.
> #1 most sustainable city in Australia 6
> #3 smartest city in the world 7
> 25% of people speak a language other than English 8
> 3 hours’ drive to Sydney
> 2 hours’ drive to the snow and the sea
> Short commute times by car, tram or bicycle
Six Nobel laureates
- 2011: Professor Brian Schmidt AC (Physics)
- 1996: Professor Rolf Zinkernagel AC
- 1996: Professor Peter Doherty AC (Medicine)
- 1994: Professor John C Harsanyi (Economics)
- 1963: Professor John Eccles AC (Medicine)
- 1945: Lord Howard Florey OM, ANU Chancellor 1965-68 (Medicine)
Policy leaders
ANU is a leader in public policy formation and debate. Our nation’s governments and those of neighbouring Asia-Pacific countries rely on us to comment on and contribute to policy matters confronting our region.
Our location in the nation’s capital and our focus on national policy issues makes us an invaluable resource for state and regional governments and the Australian parliament. ANU public policy expertise covers multiple disciplines and brings together leading initiatives, such as the Public Policy Fellows Program and Crawford School of Public Policy. The Crawford School works with the Australian Public Service to boost the expertise of policy practitioners and connects our world-leading academics with the policy development arms of government departments.
ANU is a world-leading center for research, education, and policy engagement. Here you can browse our list of achievements and awards.
Research achievements
ANU counts more Nobel Laureates among staff and alumni than any other Australian university.
In this section, learn about our Nobel Laureates and those distinguished academics whose research has brought distinction to our University.
- Nobel Laureates:- ANU is privileged to have hosted a number of Nobel Laureates whose ground-breaking research has increased our understanding of our world, and improved it for the better. Learn more about those people whose work continues to inspire us.
- Translational Fellowship Scheme:- The ANU Translational Fellowship Program aims to break down the barriers between universities, society, and industry by providing enhanced opportunities for outstanding early and mid-career researchers to pursue diverse career pathways within the University alongside Government, Civil Society, and Industry. In particular, the Fellowship is designed to provide researchers with the right support structure and incentives to take their ideas outside the University to achieve greater societal impact, in alignment with the ANU Strategic Plan.
Education achievements
The University prides itself on the excellence of education it offers. This section provides information about the recognition our educators have earned and the internationally-endorsed recognition of our staff through the Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowships.
- Australian Awards for University Teaching:- The Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) recognize Australia's most outstanding university teachers. They provide recognition for teachers, or teams, for the excellence of their teaching and have made a broad and deep contribution to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching in higher education. ANU teachers have an outstanding record of success with AAUT awards, with a sector-leading total of nine teachers and one team being recipients of these prestigious awards in 2017.
- Distinguished educators:- The title of ANU Distinguished Educator is awarded to the University's most outstanding leaders in teaching and learning, in recognition of their eminence and sustained exceptional performance. ANU Distinguished Educators are appointed as members of the ANU Institute of Innovation in Higher Education with the purpose of helping to lead, at a strategic level, innovation in education within the University.
- Educational Fellowship Scheme:- The ANU Educational Fellowship Scheme (EFS) offers academic and professional staff internationally-endorsed professional recognition as university educators through the Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowships. ANU was the first university outside the United Kingdom to become a global partner with HEA, and through the EFS fellowships offers worldwide recognition of experience and expertise in university teaching and supporting learning.
