(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
Australian universities have featured highly in the latest World University rankings, improving on last year.
Melbourne University is still leading the local pack.
Abby Dinham reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
The latest edition of the World University Rankings put the University of Melbourne at the top of the table in Australia.
Dhivyaa Doraisingam is a student there.
"When you call home or someone asks you yeah you just go 'we're going to Melbourne Uni it's just number one in Australia'. We just show off, but it's totally worth it I feel. We have all the facilities and you've got everything and all the professors here are very very helpful."
In the past year, the institution has made gains in the categories of teaching and research, to climb the international rankings and retain the top spot domestically.
Provost of Melbourne University, Professor Margaret Sheil, says it's a credit to the staff and students.
"We plan almost every stage of our development and strategy very very carefully with a view to our position nationally and internationally."
Eight Australian universities made the top 200 in the rankings.
The University of Melbourne continues to dominate locally at 33rd position, followed by the Australian National University at 45 and the University of Sydney at 60.
But while the overall reputation of Australian universities is improving, there is concern about the effects of the proposed deregulation of tuition fees.
President of the National Tertiary Education Union Jeannie Rea says the rankings indicate the federal government should leave the education funding system as it is.
"Australia's doing so well at the moment that you'd tend to think maybe we should leave it that way, maybe we should keep doing what we are doing. And we would be arguing putting more money into higher education from the government is the way to go"
Jeannie Rea says the new funding model proposed by the government will 'Americanise' the Australian tertiary education system.
"What we're likely to have, this is why we talk Americanise, is a group of good universities at one end as the elite and the rest of the universities really struggling to survive."
But the government claims the deregulation will enable universities to evolve, with little additional cost to students.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the current regulations on tuition fees are holding Australian universities back.
"We are in the business of trying to ensure that Australia's universities are as good as they can be that's why we want to respect them by giving them their freedom."
But for Melbourne Uni students, for now they're just happy to be number one.
"It's a good credential to have on their resume for sure."
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