Australian National University vs Monash University

Australian National University vs Monash University — at a glance

	Australian National University	Monash University
Country / City	Australia, Canberra	Australia, Melbourne
QS World rank	#30	#37
Tuition (intl)	AUD 47k/yr	AUD 45k/yr
IELTS	6.5	6.5
TOEFL	80	79
GRE	Optional	Optional
Acceptance rate	35%	60%
Intl students	40%	40%
Intakes	Feb, Jul	Feb, Jul
Top programs	Master of Computing, Master of Machine Learning & CV, Master of Eng	Master of IT, Master of Data Science, MBA

Which should you choose?

Choose Australian National University if you want a more selective brand name and value Research & Computing. Choose Monash University for Pharmacy & Engineering. The best choice depends on your target program, budget and post-study plans — run both through the free predictor.

Australian National University or Monash University — reading the differences

• Rank. Australian National University sits 7 places above Monash University (#30 against #37). Treat that as a coarse signal: QS rank is built largely from institution-wide research output and reputation surveys, so a gap of this size says very little about the department you would actually join, and nothing at all about teaching on your specific programme.
• Selectivity. About 35% at Australian National University against 60% at Monash University — Australian National University is the harder admission of the two. These are institution-level figures, so a competitive department inside the more accessible university can still be tighter than the headline gap suggests.
• English requirement. Both ask for IELTS 6.5, so one preparation target covers both applications and the English test is not a factor in choosing between them.
• Fees. AUD 47k/yr at Australian National University; AUD 45k/yr at Monash University. Compare these over the full length of the programme rather than per year, and check what each excludes — bench fees, materials, compulsory insurance and placement costs vary enormously by subject and are rarely in the headline number.

Both are in Australia, so visa route, post-study work rights and living costs are broadly common to the two and drop out of the decision. That is useful: it means the choice really is about programme, department and cost, rather than about country — and those are things you can investigate directly by reading the module lists and emailing the departments.

The comparison that actually decides it. Rank, acceptance rate and fees are the numbers that are easy to publish, which is why every comparison page leads with them. The things that determine whether you finish the degree well are the specific module list, who teaches it, whether there is a placement or industry link where you want to work, and the total cost to a work permit. None of those are in a ranking table, and all of them are answerable in an afternoon by reading two programme pages and sending two emails.