
Ever wondered what are the best universities in Australia for India studies? Well look no further, Asia Options has compiled all the options for South Asian studies into one compact list.
Historically, Australia has been an international hub for Indian studies. These days, opportunities to study India and South Asia in Australia can be hard to find. This list makes it easy for you to see all the Australian options for India and South Asia Studies in one place.
Australian National University
The ANU has always been one of the main Australian centres of South Asian Studies. Currently, the ANU is host to the South Asian Research Institute, which runs events like the annual India Update, as well as playing host to a variety of academic notables in the field. Many of the editors and contributors to a leading journal, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, belong to the university and the Australian South Asia Research Centre operates out of the Crawford School of Public Policy. ANU notably holds partnerships with Jawaharlal Nehru University and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
Courses Offered:
Undergraduate
- Anthropology and Technology in India
- India: Society, Religion and Politics
- Violence, Poverty, and Politics in India
- India in the Age of Asian Empires
- Asian Giants: India, China and Japan; Alternate Paths to Prosperity
- Hindi
- Sanskrit
Postgraduate
- Learning Language Locally (Hindi – In Country)
- The Cultural Politics of India
- China, India and the Future of Asia
- Introducing Asian Modernisms
- Contemporary Asian Art

La Trobe University
Along with the ANU, La Trobe has been one of the historical centres of South Asian studies in Australia, and is one of two universities currently teaching Hindi. The University has been teaching Indian history, Sanskrit and Hindi since 1967 and has one of the largest libraries housing books and manuscripts on Indian history and language in Australia. As a foundation partner of the Australia India Institute, La Trobe has been seeking to revamp its India engagement with a renewed academic focus on sport; health sciences; and the study of contemporary India. La Trobe has a longstanding relationship with Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi alongside newer partnerships such as the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
Courses Offered:
Undergraduate
Postgraduate

University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne’s focus on South Asian studies is targeted towards postgraduate students. Having the Australian India Institute on campus ensures that students have access to impressive expertise and that the university maintains an important place in international South Asian studies. The Institute also hosts the New Generation Network of postdoctoral scholars which complements the university’s Melbourne-India Postgraduate Program.
Courses Offered:
Undergraduate
- Contemporary India
- Humanitarian Design Internship (In Country)
- Postcolonial Identities in Asian Arts
Postgraduate
- India and the World
- Primary Healthcare, Jamkhed (In Country)
- Development and Inequality (In Country)
- Asia and the World
- Law and Legal Practice in Asia (In Country Opportunity)
- Travelling Studio, Ahmedabad (In Country)
- India’s Political Economy of Development
- Natural Resources Law in Asia
Monash University
Home to what was once the National Centre for South Asian Studies (now absorbed into the Monash Asia Institute), Monash has a long tradition of South Asian engagement. Today it hosts the prolific South Asian Studies Association of Australia which publishes the important journal, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. Partnering with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Monash University now has a research academy in north-eastern Mumbai.
Courses Offered:
Undergraduate
- Bachelor of Education Professional Experience (In Country Opportunity)
- Topics in Indian Philosophy
- Emerging Economies in a Global World

University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales has one of the most comprehensive lists of study options for India, particularly at an undergraduate level.
Courses Offered
Undergraduate
- Powerful India
- Modern India: Violence and Nonviolence in Colonial South Asia 1750-1947
- Cultural Textiles: Field Trips (In Country Opportunity)
- Legal Environment of Asian Business
- International Info. Sys. and Technology Practicum
- Political Cultures in Asia and the Pacific
Postgraduate
- Human Rights in Asia
- Legal Environment of Asian Business
- Asia- Pacific Business and Management
- Advanced Clinical Optometry (In Country Opportunity)
- Community Eye Health Project (In Country Opportunity)
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney was once an Australian powerhouse for South Asian Studies but it’s offerings these days are somewhat diminished. Their Department of Indian Sub-Continental Studies is small but offers high-quality opportunities for students looking to focus on traditional Buddhist and Hindu philosophical and religious studies.
Courses Offered:
Undergraduate

Felix Pal
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