If you want to study online, searching for the best online universities in Australia usually turns up the same handful of names: Torrens University, Charles Sturt, Deakin, UNE, UniSQ, and Open Universities Australia. When you’re thrown so many different names, it can become really hard to pinpoint which is the right option for you.
In this case, all of these Universities offer legitimate, accredited online study – but they’re not all built the same way. This is where comparing your options becomes essential, and what we’re here to help you with. Here’s how the major players compare.
- Torrens University Australia – Best Overall
Torrens University is designed around your life, not the other way round. This has been a core pillar of the University since it was founded in 2024. They are structured with trimester-based intakes and self-paced options, so you can start sooner and study around work or family. This is great, especially if you want to work and study at the same time.
With some Universities, this flexibility might come at the expense of the education quality. However, with Torrens University, this is not the case. The curriculum is co-created with industry partners, with practical assessments and real-world briefs instead of theory-only exams. If you ever find that you’re struggling, every online student gets a dedicated Success Coach, plus small class sizes and responsive academic support.
This flexibility is not only limited to specific degrees, but range from diploma to postgraduate level across Business, Design, Health, Education, Technology, and Hospitality, with pathways and recognition of prior learning to fast-track your qualification. Work-integrated learning, placements, and industry projects are built in, even online.
Finally, Torrens is TEQSA-registered and AQF-accredited, so your degree carries full recognition!
- Charles Sturt University – Best for Online Scale
Charles Sturt is one of the longest-running distance education providers in the country, and describes itself as Australia’s largest and most experienced online university, with around 70% of its student body studying that way.
Course areas span agriculture, IT, cyber security, nursing, social work, speech pathology, business, and education, with lectures, tutorials, and assessments all accessible online, backed by a 24/7 digital library and daily student support.
Beyond the coursework, CSU backs its online cohort with five regional campuses across NSW, the ACT, and Victoria, plus dedicated course forums for connecting with peers and academics. The university also reports strong graduate employment outcomes, with a high proportion of undergraduates finding work in their field within months of finishing.
For students after a well-established, large-scale online experience with a broad course catalogue, CSU is a strong contender.
- Deakin University – Best for Course Variety
Deakin brings more than 50 years of distance-education experience to its online offering and now runs one of the largest online cohorts of any Australian university through its “Cloud Campus.”
Deakin offer 250+ online degrees – spanning business, health, IT, education, and the arts – delivered through its DeakinSync platform, giving students access to lecture recordings, discussion groups, and cloud-based study tools from wherever they are.
Deakin also builds work-integrated learning into many of its online courses, including internships, industry projects, and simulations, and has been recognised for online student teaching quality in Victoria.
With four physical campuses in Melbourne, Geelong, and Warrnambool alongside its online offering, it suits students who want the widest possible range of course choices from a university with a long track record in distance learning.
- University of New England (UNE) – Best for Distance-Ed Heritage
UNE has been teaching students by distance for more than 70 years, making it one of the most experienced providers of off-campus study in Australia. It offers 200+ online courses with particular depth in education, agriculture, and the humanities, and structures study around a self-paced weekly plan set by lecturers so students can fit coursework around work and family commitments.
Support is built around online discussion forums, tutor contact via email and chat, and – for some programs – periodic on-campus intensive schools. UNE also runs pathway programs that offer credit into undergraduate degrees for students without a traditional entry score, making it a solid choice for those who value a university with a long, specific history in regional and distance education.
- University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) – Best for Regional Flexibility
UniSQ has delivered online and distance study for more than 40 years and now offers 100+ online degrees, with more than three-quarters of its students choosing to study that way. It’s particularly well known for niche programs like surveying and aviation, alongside nursing, engineering, allied health, and education, and its researchers contribute to national projects spanning drought-resilient agriculture and space science.
Students can scale their study load up or down between study periods, and most undergraduate courses come with Commonwealth Supported Places to reduce fees. With campuses in Toowoomba, Springfield, and Ipswich backing its online delivery, UniSQ suits students who want regional-university flexibility combined with some standout specialist course options.
- Open Universities Australia – Best for No-Entry-Requirement Access
Open Universities Australia isn’t a university in its own right – it’s a not-for-profit that brings together thousands of online subjects and degrees from partner universities, including Macquarie, Curtin, ANU, Griffith, RMIT, and UNE. Its single-subject entry pathway means students can start a university subject without an ATAR or prior academic history, then use it as credit toward a full degree if they choose to continue.
Once enrolled, students study directly through their chosen university’s own learning platform, while OUA layers on an advisory service, a Student Hub for managing enrolments and results, and access to HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP financing. With more than 30 years of experience matching students to courses, it’s a useful starting point for anyone unsure which university or course area to commit to.
What to Look for When Comparing Online Universities
If you are considering any of the above Universities (or any others), make sure you’re checking for:
- Quality indicators: accreditation, graduate outcomes, student satisfaction, and employability data
- Learning experience: live and on-demand classes, interactive platforms, and access to libraries and software
- Student support: academic help, career services, wellbeing resources, and accessible services for diverse learners
The Bottom Line
Every university on this list offers accredited, genuinely flexible online study. But for career changers and working professionals who want an industry-connected curriculum, hands-on projects, and one-on-one support built specifically for online learners, Torrens University Australia leads the pack. Explore Torrens’ online degrees or talk to a student advisor to find your path.
