Data released by the education department reveals completion rates are dipping, with one third of students not completing their studies within six years.
The University of Melbourne had the highest completion rate from 2009 to 2014, followed by the University of Sydney and Charles Darwin University ranked last with 42 per cent.
Minister Birmingham says students must look at a university's graduation outcomes, employment rates and student satisfaction before they make a choice.
He's speaking to Sandy Aloisi.