Six Australian universities listed in world's top 100

The University of Melbourne has ranked as Australia's best university, and one of six in the top 100 worldwide, according to the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

The University of Melbourne recorded its best ever ranking on the list, rising to No. 40, the University of Queensland also rose considerably - from No. 77 in 2015 to 55 in the most recent edition of the annual rankings.

Australian National University (No. 78), Monash University (79), Sydney University (82) and the University of Western Australia (96) were the other Australian institutions to make the top 100 of the list of 500.

Twenty-three Australian universities made the top 500, making Australia the fifth most reputable country for higher education, according to Tony Sheil, a university ranking expert from Griffith University.

"The Australian higher education system is built around a fine balance of scale and excellence allowing universities, from Melbourne at 40th to Western Sydney and RMIT University as the latest top 500 debutants, to grow their critical mass and be rewarded for their substantial self-investment in research," Sheil told News Limited on Monday.

"This is an enviable result; but it doesn't mean we should welcome the annual rankings nor should we place blind trust in outcomes no matter how positive. They are just another indicator."

University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Glyn Davis said the university's 2016 ranking came as a result of "dedicated work by our researchers and staff."

"It is imperative that Australia has a strong foothold among the world's greatest universities and our continuous focus is on ensuring we provide excellence in education and support pioneering world-leading research," Davis told News Limited on Monday.

Harvard University retained its spot as the best university in the world followed by Stanford, the University of California, Berkeley and Cambridge. Endit