The 2026 QS World University Rankings highlights the dynamic shifts within global higher education, with Australian universities maintaining a strong presence but facing mounting competition from their international peers. The overall performance of Australian universities reflects both their resilience and the increasing challenges they encounter as the global landscape becomes more competitive and diversified. I do not consider myself an ardent supporter of global university rankings, as these systems often oversimplify the complex reality of higher education by reducing institutional performance to just a handful of quantitative measures. In light of recent “wake-up calls” in the media regarding the “disappointing” results for Australian universities,[1],[2] it is important to...