The 2017 THE Young University Rankings lists the world's 200 best universities established within the past 50 years across 48 countries.

Eight Queensland universities managed to secure a spot on the list, among the 23 Australian universities ranked.

QUT climbed four places to 24th from 28th, while Griffith University leapt from 48th to 35th place.

The University of the Sunshine Coast, Bond University and University of Southern Queensland were added to the prestigious ranking for the first time.

Central Queensland University rose to 90th out of the 101-150 category, while Southern Cross University dropped into that category from 94th place.

James Cook University remained at 38th place.

This year's list, released at midnight, was the first time in six years an Australian university had broken into the top 20, with University of Technology, Sydney claiming 15th place.

??cole Polytechnique F??d??rale de Lausanne in Switzerland took out the top spot for the third consecutive year.

Times Higher Education rankings editor Phil Baty said 13 performance indicators were used to assess universities across their core missions.

"Institutions must demonstrate high standards of performance across teaching, research, international outlook and knowledge transfer," he said.

"Australia's great strength in depth and claim of high positions in the table will serve it well in the table in the years to come."

QUT Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake, who is speaking at the 2017 Young Universities Summit held at QUT until Friday, said the Queensland "ecosystem" had contributed to the state's younger universities doing well.

"I think one of the healthy things about Queensland over the last couple of decades has been that there has been an interest in education, research and innovation by the state government," he said.

"I think also there is a preparedness by universities in Queensland to work together and collaborate.

"I never take too much notice of any particular ranking, I think it is a pattern of all the rankings over a period of time where you see the tide ebbing or flowing and I think the tide is flowing for Queensland-based institutions and that is good to see."

Professor Coaldrake said the rankings helped recognise younger universities away from the older institutions that tended to dominate ranking tables.

"Young universities have to make strategic choices as to where to specialise their research, it means young universities have the opportunity to seek to respond to the challenges of society and the community," he said.

"While young universities are not as mature in terms of their research environments, they may not have the difficulties associated with age (of older universities), age meaning it is often difficult to change," he said.

"I think there are many things that young universities seem to look to old universities for and there are probably some things that old universities will look to young universities for."

Where Australian universities placed in the Times Higher Education Top 200 Young University Rankings 201

• University of Technology, Sydney - 15th
• Queensland University of Technology - 24th
• University of Wollongong - 30th
• University of South Australia - 32nd
• Charles Darwin University - 34th
• Griffith University - 35th
• James Cook University - 38th
• Deakin University - 43rd
• La Trobe University and Victoria University - 56th
• Swinburne University of Technology - 61st
• Murdoch University - 68th
• Western Sydney University - 79th
• Curtin University - 84th
• RMIT University - 87th
• Central Queensland University - 90th
• University of Canberra - 91st
• Australian Catholic University - 101-150th
• Bond University - 101-150th
• Southern Cross University - 101-150th
• University of the Sunshine Coast - 101-150th
• University of Southern Queensland - 101-150th

For the full Times Higher Education list, visit its website.

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