Universities in Australia for international students are all self-accredited and operate under their own set of laws and regulations, in addition to state and territory legislation. The Government of Australia provides public subsidies to these institutions in accordance with the Higher Education Support Act of Australia, which was enacted in 2003.

Some foreign universities in Australia, such as the Australian National University, the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School, and the Australian Maritime College, are created under Commonwealth legislation. Others, such as the Australian Catholic University, are governed by corporate law.

Many private Universities in Australia for international students are likewise governed by corporate law. Because these colleges self-accredit, they have a well-founded right to function independently. Australia's universities are collectively represented by the national "Universities Australia," of which eight notable ones are on the list of the highly regarded "group of eight" in acknowledgment of their educational quality, global ranking and stature, and rich legacy.

In the QS World University Rankings 2021, 36 Australian universities were ranked, whereas 37 were ranked in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021. The University of Melbourne received the highest global ranking of any university, ranking 35th in China's Academic Ranking of World Universities. 38 universities in Australia for international students were given ranks according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings, with the University of Melbourne ranking 25th.

The Australian higher education was ranked in the top ten for literacy, science, and maths in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examination. In 2012, Pearson, an educational establishment in Australia, ranked Australian universities for overseas students as the top 13th in the world, whereas the United Nations Education Index ranked Australia as the 2nd greatest place in the world for education in 2018.