Australia's top universities shoot up the international rankings thanks to a huge increase in Chinese enrolments

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Australia's most elite universities have shot up an international rankings chart as their intake of China international students has surged. 

The Academic Ranking of World Universities league table featured seven of Australia's Group of Eight universities in the top 100 list.

After the United States and the UK, Australia came third when it came to having the most number of universities in the upper echelons.

In 2003, Australia came ninth in the world - in terms of having the most universities on this top 100 list.

Australia's most elite universities have shot up an international rankings chart as their intake of China international students has surged. Pictured: Chinese students from a UNSW group

University of Sydney associate professor Salvatore Babones, a China expert and an adjunct scholar at the Centre for Independent Studies, said the Group of Eight universities also, between them, sourced 68 per cent of their international students from China.

'How did Australia climb from tied-ninth to third in the world in less than two decades in the world's premier research-based university rankings?,' he said.

'In two words: Chinese students. 

'Until the coronavirus struck, they were the 'cash cows' that funded Australian universities.'

Last year, before coronavirus, Australia's education exports to China were worth $12billion. 

The ARWU list is also compiled by the Shanghai Rankings Consultancy, a commercial spin-off from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The University of Melbourne was ranked at No. 35, putting it ahead of the Sorbonne in Paris at 39. 

The University of Queensland in Brisbane came in at 54.

The University of Melbourne (pictured) was ranked at No. 35, putting it ahead of the Sorbonne in Paris at 39

Australian National University in Canberra was 67. 

The University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales both came in at No. 74 in the world.

Monash University in Melbourne and the University of Western Australia both came in at 85.

The University of Adelaide was the only Group of Eight university not to make the top 100 but it was placed in the 151 to 200 band.

A day after the list was unveiled, South Australia announced it would allow 300 international students from China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore to fly to the state and quarantine for 14 days.

Parklands at entrance to the University of Queensland St Lucia Campus in Brisbane

Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham, who hails from Adelaide, announced the pilot program allowing his state to allow the international students to enter SA and quarantine for two weeks.

'We are taking a very cautious approach in terms of the return of international students to Australia,' he said.

'We have though successfully demonstrated, particularly in states like South Australia that they can return Australians from all corners of the world, safely quarantine them, and provide no exposure to the South Australian community.' 

SA is banning Victorians but allowing people from New South Wales to enter the state on the proviso they self quarantine.