November 22, 2023

UOW places 7th in AFR Best Universities Ranking

University of Wollongong the only institution to rank in top 20 in each of five categories

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has been ranked as one of the country’s top universities in the inaugural Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking, placing equal 7th across all Australian institutions.

The Financial Review evaluated 40 Australian universities under five categories: student satisfaction, research performance, global reputation, career impact, and equity and access.

UOW performed strongly across each of the five categories and was the only university to rank in the top 20 in every category.

The University’s highest ranking was for equity and access, where it ranked 4th in Australia. UOW ranked 12th in global reputation, 13th for student satisfaction, 19th for research and 20th for career outcomes.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson was delighted to see the rankings reflect the University’s longstanding commitment to expanding access to higher education.

“UOW is proud to be a leader in the sector when it comes to driving equity and access outcomes for students and this result demonstrates our strength in this space,” Professor Davidson said.

“Around 40 per cent of our students come from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education and we have a proud history of working closely with our communities to drive increased participation and attainment among these groups, which is helping create a more prosperous future for Australia.

“We know equity and access outcomes will be a focus of the Federal Government’s Universities Accord, and we are continuing to strengthen our support for students from diverse communities.

“More broadly, as this result demonstrates, UOW is a true all-rounder – from research to student satisfaction, global reputation and career outcomes – UOW is the only Australian university to rank in the top 20 in every category.”

UOW is committed to further advancing equity and access and is well placed to deliver on the Government’s objective via our domestic campus network and pathway programs that make studying accessible to all.

To increase participation and support students from rural and regional Australia, UOW introduced Country to Coast Scholarships in 2023. More than 500 students were awarded Country to Coast Scholarships in 2023 and we have increased this for 2024.

Through community programs such as the My Future Matters Program and Indigenous Regional Summer Camp, UOW’s Woolyungah Indigenous Centre supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students from the Illawarra and regional NSW, building aspirations and breaking down the barriers between our communities and higher education institutions.

UOW is also committed to ensuring students succeed once they come to our university. Woolyungah offers exceptional support to First Nations students to help them succeed in their studies at UOW. In 2024, we will be launching UOW’s Student Success Strategy that will provide greater investment and focus on supporting our students to succeed in their university education.