The QS World University Rankings 2021 annual report features 36 Australian universities, with CSU, the Australian Catholic University and the University of New England all ranked equal 34th.

Globally, the publication ranked CSU as falling among the bottom 200 of the 1000 universities listed.

The top-performing Australian university was the Australian National University, globally Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) took out the top spot.

QS said its rankings are based on a methodology which assesses each university on its academic and employer reputations, research impact and more.

Australian Community Media asked CSU how much weight it gave to the rankings, whether it was concerned it damaged CSU's reputation, and whether it believed domestic or international students looked at these annual rankings.

CSU did not respond to the questions, but Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor John Germov issued the following statement.

"Prospective and current Charles Sturt University students know they will be equipped with the skills to thrive across a broad spectrum of industries," he said.

"The university has a proud record of producing research which has positive and meaningful impacts in regional Australia and across the world."

Prof Germov said CSU had performed well in the 2020 Good Universities Guide which he said relied on data generated by the Australian Government-funded Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching surveys.

"Charles Sturt University was rated Australia's best university for graduate employment outcomes, with 86 per cent of graduates in full-time employment within four months of completing their course," he said.

"In the same publication, the university received five star ratings for student support and first-in-family admission rates."

Prof Germov said in April this year CSU was ranked 61st overall in the Times Higher Education Impact Ratings.

"[It] assessed more than 600 universities across the globe against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and ranked them in 17 categories across three areas: research, outreach and stewardship," he said.

"Alongside this, Charles Sturt University is Australia's leading provider of online university courses. As the largest and most experienced online university, we have led the way in world class online study."

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