university [n.]

[pl. universities] a high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and academic research is done.
- ORIGIN Latin universitas ‘the whole’, later ‘guild’, from universus [see UNIVERSE]..

Oxford Dictionaries

Universities are the top tier of education with university qualifications, often at postgraduate level, now a virtual necessity in most professions and many other occupations.

In Australia, all universities have a reasonable level of reliance on government funding through various grants and student funding schemes. Bond University and The University of Notre Dame [Australia] are the only two private universities, though both still receive some public funding.

There has been a major increase in the number of universities since the 1980s, rising to the 39 that exist today. Nearly a quarter of these are ranked in the top 200 universities in the world, with the Australian National University at the highest ranking of 16. Several universities previously existed as Colleges of Advanced Education or Institutes. Most universities have significant numbers of international students, especially from Asia.

There are multiple pages that can be accessed using either the page number boxes above or the other links.

This page looks at Australian universities with further information on academic and financial assistance, admission centres, postgraduate courses, Medical Examination preparation and other general information.

The Second Page looks at international universities including the World’s Best plus some from specific countries. There is also information covering blogs, qualification information and more.

Tertiary Course Entry Options. There are a number of options for entering the course of your choice, at the university of your choice. These are discussed on this page.

University Open Days : a listing of Open Days for all Australian universities is provided on this page. These will be continually updated as details become known.

We continually add to the information available and are willing to consider suggested inclusions.

Australian Universities

Australian Universities

Search by alphabetical listing, state or city. Find rankings using different formulae, special groupings, Australian Colleges, special schools e.g. Law, Nursing, Teaching & Business, English programs, study cost, accommodation, visa information and more. Each university is accessed separately via their :

• Home Page,
• Information For International Students, or
• University Guide.

It should provide everything you want to know about Australian Universities.

The Rankings of Australian Universities on this site may be of interest. It ranks within Australia and links to world rankings.

Link Portals

• Australian Technology Network of Universities
  ‘The Australian Technology Network is an influential alliance of five distinctive and prominent Australian universities located in each mainland State’.
• Australian Universities Listing
  Alphabetical listing including some special centres and faculties.
• Australian Universities [By States]
  From Web Wombat.
• Australian Universities List
  50 links to Australian Universities.
• e-Grad School
  ‘A virtual graduate school to operate in Australia and internationally. eGSA provides postgraduate students, their supervisors and universities with online access to resources and activities relevant to their needs’.
• Innovative Research Universities [IRU]
  ‘IRU is a network of seven comprehensive universities conducting research of national and international standing and applying collective expert knowledge, capabilities and resources to enhance the outcomes of higher education. The IRU network has national reach, with an institutional presence in every mainland State of Australia and the Northern Territory. The member universities collectively operate in over 35 different locations reflecting the rich diversity of the nation’.
• Open Universities Australia
  Previously Open Learning Australia. Online university courses.
• Study Assist
  ‘Whether you are planning to study at university, TAFE or other approved education provider the new Study Assist website provides a one-stop-shop for all your questions about Australian Government assistance available to help finance your tertiary studies’. Note : this site replaces the Going to Uni site.
  An excellent site !

The following pages would be of particular interest :

• Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number [CHESSN]
• Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP
• Commonwealth Supported Places
• Course Finder Search
• Courses
  Covers entry requirements, field of education, how to enrol and lets you Search for Approved Courses.
• Entry Requirements
• Fee-Help
• My Tertiary Study Options
  ‘Before you decide where to study and apply for a course, you will need to make some important decisions. This section has been designed to educate you about your options, so you can make an informed decision before you enrol’.
• myUniAssist
• Other Helpful Links
  A collection of contacts and links.
• Overseas Study Support
• Providers that offer Commonwealth Assistance
• Relevant Deadlines
  Covers Census and Administrative dates and how to find them. These are important for seeking assistance
• Universities and Other Higher Education Providers
  Alphabetical listing by states. Provides background information on each, link to their website and other contact details.
• What is a Commonwealth Assistance Notice [CAN] ?

• The Good Universities Guide
  ‘The Good Uni Guide is the only comprehensive and independent information source about tertiary education pathways, including postgraduate courses like the MBA, and career options in Australia’.
• University of The Third Age
  All branches of the University of the Third Age in Australia.
• Universities Australia
  Previously the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee. Listing of participating universities, policies & programs, publications, news, contacts, Australian University Handbook and more.
• Welcome to the GO8 Website
  ‘The Group of Eight represent Australia’s leading universities. Membership of the group consists of the Vice-Chancellors [presidents] of : University of Adelaide, Australian National University, University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of Sydney and University of Western Australia’.
• What Degree ? Which University ?
  ‘This is a website that’s going to tell you about university, degrees, student life, city life, and your life. This is a website made by the students who have made the good and the bad decisions at uni, and are here to tell you what it’s really like. Every fortnight we will post articles about films, festivals, music, sport, as well as stuff about jobs, money, and the best way to pursue a degree you’re going to love, at a university you won’t want to leave’. Presently restricted to universities in Sydney, but being gradually expanded to cover all Australian universities.

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Other Information

Adult Learning

Check the Adult & Community Education page for details regarding this area.

Assistance

Academic Assistance

Specific academic assistance including advice, language skills, study, exam preparation, reading, writing and more. Only a selection of what is available.

• Assisting Your Learning
  ‘Language and Learning Service [LLS] lecturers offer a daily drop-in Helpdesk and a range of workshops as well as print and online resources to assist students develop the skills required for success at university. All services are Free to students enrolled at the University of Adelaide’.
• Deakin
  Part of the Study Skills area. Includes aspects listed in the introduction, a guide for assignment writing and referencing, linked websites. Covers Higher Degree work too.
• Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
  University of North Carolina. You won’t get it marked but it may help establish your preferred learning style.
• Language & Learning Online
  Monash University. Includes Resource Finder, Guided Tour of resources, Writing for Subjects and sections on all aspects of language.
• Learning Assistance
  University of Queensland.
• Macquarie University Transition Program [Mentoring]
  Discover information about this program. Also find out about Academic Orientation here.
• Melbourne Services for Students
  Language & Learning Skills Unit. Resources from Effective Study Techniques to a Fair Use Policy. Each section has pamphlets and links to other resources and information. Part of the larger Academic Skills Unit site, which is well worth visiting.
• Online Academic Skills Resources
  Resources from the University of New South Wales, from essay writing to oral presentations.
• TAFE and University Koorie Units
  ‘Want to find a TAFE or University which can support Koorie young people in their studies ? Below are links to all Victorian and [many] interstate TAFE and University Koorie units’.
  Highly Recommended !
• Towards Success in Tertiary Study
  University of Melbourne. Helps you establish your learning style and provides explanations about the various styles. Specially related to those with Asperger’s Syndrome. Download a Copy of the Original Document here.
• UniLearning
  University of Wollongong.
• University of Canberra
  ‘The Program has been set up to enable all students in the University to acquire and enhance the skills needed to succeed in their studies’.
• UNE Academic Skills Office
  ‘University of New England’s learning support unit and part of the Teaching and Learning Centre. We are here to help you to succeed and excel in your studies’.

Accessibility Assistance

• Lectopia System
  Also known as the iLecture System. ‘The leading lecture capture and delivery solution in Australia. The high level of automation, advanced monitoring capabilities, and flexible processing options make it the ideal solution for university-wide lecture capture, publication and management. Equity of access, regional programmes, and expansion into international markets have been key benefits’.
• Macquarie University Accessibility Services
  ‘Initiative of Macquarie University aimed at meeting the life-long educational requirements of students with access needs’ and others, through innovative techniques’.
• The Disability Liaison UnitUniversity of Melbourne. Extensive information for those with disabilities.

Financial Assistance

• For information regarding HECS, HELP and other governmental assistance, check the Financial Support page, or the Study Assist listing above.
• For information regarding Scholarships visit this page that has details on scholarships, including tertiary scholarships.

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General Sites

• Assessing Learning in Australian Universities
  ‘Ideas, strategies & resources for quality in student assessment’.
• Athlete Career & Education
  ‘A national program of the Australian Sports Commission, delivered through the Australian Institute of Sport and state and territory institutes and academies of sport. It provides eligible athletes with career, education and personal development services as well as transitional support for athletes going through personal and sporting changes’.
• Australian Universities Review
  Journal from the National Tertiary Education Union. Articles, commentary, archive.
• Campus Review
  ‘Australia’s only independent voice in the higher education sector’. Fee-based but with Free Access to the last issue.
• Careers Advisory Service
  School leaver advice, options, useful links. New South Wales Department of Education.
• Compare Courses
  Compare courses ‘from 1 243 institutions & 76 894 Courses in Australia’. There are also articles, course ratings, institution reviews, student news and more.
• Future Students
  Macquarie University.
• Gateway to Charles Sturt University
  Opportunity to gain information provided by most universities regarding Orientation. You are advised to visit the specific university and search for orientation information for your needs.
  You need to be able to log in to access this site.
• Higher Education [WA]
  Clarifies the role of the state government in relation to Higher Education in Western Australia.
• HotCourses.com.au
  ‘Search the database of 86 446 courses from 1 372 colleges and universities in Australia’. Covers short courses to postgraduate as well as covering scholarships.
• Leaving
  Thinking of withdrawing from Uni ? For many students, the pressure of study or outside commitments can prompt thoughts of leaving. But there are other options available to you’. Details options with most applying at all universities. Charles Sturt University
• Open Day
  ‘Complete University, TAFE & College Open Days, Course and Careers, Expo and Information Day Guide’.
• Studylink
  Information about undergraduate, postgraduate and college & training suppliers and courses across Australia.
• Study Overseas
  Australian Government site covering why, where to study, financial assistance, travel overseas, experiences and practitioners.
• Talk About Uni
  ‘This website is all about uni. Here you’ll find true stories about getting to uni told by real people. But this website is also a resource : it’s for students, parents and carers, and it’s also an aid for teachers. It aims to help high school students, and those close to them, take part in a conversation about possible and desirable futures’. University of Melbourne.
• The Melbourne Model
  ‘The Melbourne Model is based on six broad undergraduate programs followed by a professional graduate degree, research higher degree or entry directly into employment’. Information and documentation available from this site.
• The Monash Passport
  ‘The Monash Passport is an education system that offers a broad menu of opportunities to students. The Passport combines degree programs with international exchanges, leadership programs, work training programs and volunteer and research opportunities as a grounding for outstanding careers’.
• Uni Ready
  ‘Uni Ready is valuable for any student studying for the STAT [Special Tertiary Admissions Test]. We provide exam preparation material to students so they can study at university and move forward in their dream career’.
• uniTEST
  ‘Developed to assist universities with the often difficult and time consuming processes of student selection. The test is provided jointly by ACER and Cambridge Assessment. The test has been designed to assess the kinds of generic reasoning and thinking skills that underpin studies at higher education and that are needed for students to be successful at this level’. Used with several universities in Australia including Macquarie, Monash and ANU.
• University Tests
  ACER. Details tests available through ACER that are used by Australian universities for assessment and qualification purposes.
• uStudents
  Online information about accommodation, second-hand books and more, by university students for university students.
• Welcome to Insearch
  ‘Pathway programs for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Technology, Sydney’.
• Welcome to uninotes.com.au
  Australian site with student’s notes covering topics in different courses. If you are not a good note taker this may be valuable.
• Welcome to unistudent.com.au
  Issues affecting students, information, entertainment, discount links, job information and more.

Government Agencies

• Australian Universities Quality Agency
  Glossary, links, FAQs, search, proceedings and audit reports.
• Education Services Australia
  ‘Delivering innovative, cost-effective services across all sectors of education and training’.
• Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
  ‘TEQSA regulates and assures the quality of Australia’s large, diverse and complex higher education sector. The Australian higher education system is comprised of both public and private universities, Australian branches of overseas universities, and other self-accrediting and non-self-accrediting higher education providers. From January 2012, TEQSA will register and evaluate the performance of higher education providers against the new Higher Education Standards Framework’

Medical Examination Help

• Eureka !
  ‘A state-of-the-art preparation computer program created by MedEntry UMAT Prep’. Free Trial available.
• GAMSAT Guru Method
  ‘Everything I learned about succeeding in the GAMSAT is condensed here into 5 study manuals’. Fee-based process.
• Global Medical Education Online
  Offers both medical and dental courses leading to the UMAT.
• MedEntry^™
  ‘MedEntry is the only UMAT preparation institution with an extensive and unparalleled bank of questions, resources and course techniques developed for UMAT over a period of over thirty years’.
• Medentry UMAT Prep
  Assistance for UMAT, interview techniques, one-on-one assistance on entry to medical fields including medicine, dentistry and physiotherapy. Fee-based.
• MedStart UMAT Preparation
  ‘At MedStart, we provide personalised and effective UMAT Preparation and Tuition Courses for the Exams and Interview to help students score the very best UMAT results’.
• NIE UMAT Preparation
  Information on the UMAT, courses, books, workshops, Interview Training, more.
• The UMAT
  Courses, books, workshops, Interview Training, links, more.
• Umat.net.au
  ‘Umat.net.au is the only independent source of information about UMAT and entry to health professional courses such as Medicine, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy, Optometry and such Health Science courses. We provide a comparison of four UMAT preparation organisations, at least one of which is considered reasonable and reputable’.

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Postgraduate Courses in Australia

• Graduate Careers
  Covers much more than careers, such as the following :

• Grad Jobs & Dollars
  Information about employment prospects of graduates, their earnings and their level of satisfaction with their university experience.
• The CEQuery
  The Course Experience Questionnaire and what it can tell you.

• Macquarie University Postgraduate Program
  Designed to assist those who are going on to Postgraduate studies.
• MBA & Postgrad Expo
  ‘Australia’s only exhibition dedicated to the needs of course providers and prospective students of postgraduate study’.
• Postgraduate Courses [Studylink]
  ‘Find and compare postgraduate courses in Australia’. Multiple search options, links to further information. Also provides assistance in placement at other levels of post-compulsory education.

Rating Professors & Lecturers

• My Lecturer
  ‘mylecturer.net.au is your opportunity to rate the subjects and lecturers that deliver your tertiary education. Primarily, we expect intelligent ratings and opinion. We are not into “lecturer-bashing”. We are not a forum for libellous or defamatory statements; we’ll delete these when we see them. We do however, expect honest ratings and comments from students who work hard, play hard and pay hard’. Australian site.
• RateMyProfessors
  ‘The Internet’s largest listing of collegiate professor ratings, with more than 11 million student-generated ratings of over 1 million professors. Each year, millions of college students use the site to help plan their class schedules and rate current and past professors on attributes such as helpfulness and clarity’. International site for comparison.

University Admission Centres

These are state & territory groups who allocate offers for placement at universities [and sometimes TAFES] within their region. If you have questions, direct them to the state/territory group covering the university where you wish to study. Note that from 2010, all bar Queensland will be using the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank as a common measure.

• Charles Darwin University
  Also check the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre link below.
• Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre
  Covers Queensland universities, Australian Maritime College [Tasmania], some northern NSW universities and Queensland TAFE as well as some private providers.
• Tertiary Entrance
  ‘The Tertiary Entrance Statement provides information that is recognised by interstate and international universities and tertiary providers and may be required to enrol in study at institutions outside Queensland’. Queensland Studies Authority.
• South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre
  ‘Processes and assesses applications on behalf of TAFE SA and the four universities in South Australia and the Northern Territory’.
• Tertiary Institutions Service Centre [WA]
  Covers universities found in Western Australia.
• Universities Admissions Centre
  Covers New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
• University of Tasmania Admissions
• Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre
• Understanding Data
  About the Number of Applicants and Offers for University Place. ‘Data about the number of applications and offers for university places can be confusing, especially since numbers change as more applications are received, existing applicants change preferences and, offers continue to be made throughout the main application and offer period. Understanding these changes is essential to correctly interpreting data on applications and offers’. RTF or PDF Fact Sheets.

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