The 2016 guide also shows that Canberra is convincingly a university town, with the highest proportion of students coming from another state to study in the territory.

Though the Australian National University has posted the best overall results – including coming in the top group of elite Australian universities earning their graduates the best starting salaries – it has come last in the territory on a rating of teaching quality, earning just two stars.

The University of Canberra and the Australian Catholic University each received three stars for teaching quality, which is based on ratings from the students themselves on the overall experience of their lecturers and tutors.

Teaching quality is derived from the Course Experience Questionnaire component of the Australian Graduate Survey.

The Good Universities Guide provides the only independent five-star performance ratings of Australian undergraduate courses and their providers.

ACU has campuses across Australia, including its Signadou campus in Watson. The University of NSW also has a Canberra campus through the Australian Defence Force Academy, but it was not included in results.

ACU, ANU and UC all received a four-star rating for graduates getting a full-time job.

Ross White, education data manager at Hobsons, which produces the yearly guide, said strong graduate outcomes were a key factor when undergraduates were considering university choices. And the ACT's solid performance in this area was a likely contributor to the large number of students the territory attracted from other states.

Most states struggled to reach double figures in the percentage of interstate students moving away from home to study. But the ACT had a 40 per cent interstate intake, compared with just 9 per cent in Victoria.

Mr White said the number of interstate students could continue to grow if more students prioritised graduate outcomes over location.

"We know that starting salary is becoming increasingly important to students considering their university options and this is an area that the ACT could really capitalise on."

ANU deputy vice-chancellor (academic) Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said the university's results reflected its "high-quality education that set students up for future careers". The ANU received five stars for research intensity, compared with two stars for UC and one for ACU.

ANU also received five stars for student demand, compared with two stars for UC and one for ACU.

But on its two-star teaching experience, Professor Hughes-Warrington said the ANU actively monitored its student evaluations to help improve the quality of its teaching.

She noted the university's most recent evaluations indicated the ANU "remains consistent with Group of Eight and sector averages for good teaching".

"The quality of an ANU education ensures its graduates are well prepared and equipped to take up full-time work and to face the challenges they will confront in their careers," Professor Hughes-Warrington said.

University of Canberra deputy vice-chancellor Nick Klomp said he was pleased to see overall satisfaction reported by UC graduates to be on a steady incline.

"The results are consistent with our drive to produce workforce-ready graduates who find themselves almost immediately employable.

"It is also good to see Canberra solidify its position as an education destination – drawing students into the territory from around the nation and internationally."

In other ratings, ANU came seventh in the nation for the proportion of students studying full-time, at 83 per cent. UC has the fourth highest proportion of part-time students, at 88 per cent.

In a rating of generic skills – that is the transfer of more basic skills for either the workforce or further study – both ANU and UC received just two stars each, and ACU received one.

Both ANU and UC scored just one star each for access and social equity, illustrating a low level of socio-economic disadvantage among the student body. ACU had two stars.