The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public teaching and research university located in Canberra, Australia, the federal capital city. The University was established by an act of the Parliament of Australia on 1 August 1946, with the legislated purpose of conducting and promoting research in Australia.

The University is consistently ranked as the best university in Australia by many worldwide university ranking systems, including the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the annual Times Higher Education Supplement rankings. Its notable staff and alumni include five Nobel laureates.

The University is governed by a 15-member council. ANU is a member of several university alliances and cooperative networks, including the Group of Eight (Australian Universities), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and the International Alliance of Research Universities.

The Australian National University
Latin: Australiana Populus Universitas
Motto: Naturam Primum Cognoscere Rerum
(“First, to learn the nature of things”)
Established: 1946
Type: Public
Chancellor: Kim Beazley
Vice-Chancellor: Professor Ian Chubb AC
Staff: 3,600
Undergraduates: 8,100
Postgraduates: 4,382
Location: Acton, ACT, Australia
Campus: Urban, 350 acres (1.4 km2)
Affiliations: Group of Eight, APRU, IARU, AURA, ASAIHL
Website: www.anu.edu.au