The Group of Eight universities in Australia

The Group of Eight is an alliance of Australia's oldest and most research-intensive universities. They dominate the international rankings, run the largest research budgets, and are where most of Australia's professional graduate programs (medicine, law, some engineering) sit.

For international students the Go8 name carries weight with employers, especially outside Australia. The trade-offs are the highest tuition in the country, the most competitive admissions, and, for several of them, big-city living costs. A Go8 degree is not automatically the right choice if your field is taught just as well elsewhere for less.