The Australian Financial Review says its new ranking is the first in Australia to recognise traditional notions of excellence, such as research and reputation, alongside important measures of student satisfaction and equity.

Overall, UniSC was ranked 15 across 40 of the nation’s eligible private and public universities.

It was number two in Australia overall and the highest ranked public university in Queensland for student satisfaction, and performed strongly in equity and access, ranked 11 nationally.

UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett, said the results reflected the University’s focus on enhancing students’ experiences and supporting them to succeed.

“Our focus is on genuinely changing lives across our diverse regions, with a commitment to creating a university environment that values equity, fairness and inclusivity,” Professor Bartlett said.

“It is about giving all students, including those who are dealing with disadvantage or who are under-represented in their community, the opportunity to reach their full potential while experiencing all aspects of campus life.”

Professor Bartlett said she welcomed the Australian Financial Review’s decision in its new ranking evaluation to balance research with education outcomes and meeting the needs of students.

“These latest results reinforce UniSC’s success in several global and national rankings this year that recognise our quality and continuous improvement across the important pillars of learning, teaching, research and sustainability.”

The 2023-24 Good Universities Guide rated UniSC the nation’s number one public university for overall postgraduate student experience, and the second best nationwide for undergraduates. It is also the top public university for postgraduate teaching quality, skills development and student support.

UniSC has 14 five-star ratings for key areas including teaching quality, overall experience, learner resources, skills development, social equity, student support, first generation and learner engagement.

In the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, UniSC placed equal 29th overall out of 1,591 institutions worldwide, in an exceptionally strong result for a growing regional university. And in the category for Clean Water and Sanitation, UniSC placed third in the world.

UniSC also topped Queensland across multiple categories, including Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Life Below Water and Life on Land, and equal first for Zero Hunger.

UniSC also recorded the biggest improvement in Australia for research quality in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University rankings.