What Rankings and Recognition Does Murdoch University Have?

Murdoch University holds a five-star rating for overall satisfaction, inclusiveness and employability from the QS Stars Assessment 2024. It is also ranked #1 in Western Australia for social equity and holds a five-star rating for student support in the Good Universities Guide 2026, while Excellence in Research Australia rates 81% of its research disciplines at world standard or above. These are the headline recognitions; the sections below explain what each one covers and how to weigh them.

The Recognitions at a Glance

What Each Recognition Actually Tells You

QS Stars: satisfaction, inclusiveness, employability

QS Stars is a rating system that assesses universities against a set of criteria rather than producing a single ranked list. The three categories Murdoch is rated five stars in speak to different concerns:

• Overall satisfaction reflects how current students rate their experience.
• Inclusiveness signals how well the university supports a diverse student body.
• Employability points to graduate outcomes and how prepared students are for work.

For a prospective student, this combination is most relevant if you care about the day-to-day experience and what happens after graduation, not just entry requirements.

Good Universities Guide 2026: social equity and student support

The Good Universities Guide is an Australian comparison resource for students choosing where to study. Two results stand out for Murdoch:

• #1 in WA for social equity — the strongest result within Western Australia on this measure.
• Five-star rating for student support — a top-band rating for the services available to students.

The social equity ranking is a state-level result, so read it as the leading position in WA rather than a national ranking. The university connects this to its history: it describes itself as the first Australian university to introduce flexible admissions to make education more accessible.

Excellence in Research Australia: 81% of disciplines

Excellence in Research Australia is the national assessment of research quality by discipline. Murdoch's result — world standard or above in 81% of its research disciplines — is the figure to check if research strength matters to you, for example when considering postgraduate research, honours, or a discipline where you want to study alongside active researchers.

How to Use These Rankings When Choosing

Rankings are a starting point, not a decision. A practical way to apply them:

1. Match the category to your priority. If graduate employment is your main concern, weight the QS Stars employability rating. If you need strong support services or are weighing access and equity, the Good Universities Guide results are more relevant.
2. Check the discipline, not just the institution. The 81% research figure is an average across disciplines — confirm the rating for the specific field you plan to study.
3. Compare on the same measure. Use the same rating categories when comparing Murdoch with other universities, rather than mixing a QS Stars rating with a national ranking.
4. Verify currency. These results are tied to specific years (QS Stars 2024, Good Universities Guide 2026, and the relevant Excellence in Research Australia round), so check for updated editions before relying on them.

For example, if you are a Year 12 student in Western Australia weighing support services and accessibility, the social equity and student support results are the ones to look at first; if you are considering a research pathway, start with the discipline-level research assessment.

Where to Confirm the Details

The rankings above are summarised on Murdoch University's own website, which also links to its courses, scholarships and application information. For the underlying methodology and full category breakdowns, consult the QS Stars, Good Universities Guide and Excellence in Research Australia sources directly, since each uses its own criteria and reporting cycle.