Universities

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

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

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.

International Universities

European Information

Central/Eastern European Education Directory
‘Comprehensive information on undergraduate and post-graduate programmes offered by over 1 300 academic establishments in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS’.
DAAD
Study, financial help and more for academic exchange in Germany.
European University Association
‘The European University Association represents and supports higher education institutions in 46 countries, providing them with a unique forum to cooperate and keep abreast of the latest trends in higher education and research policies’.
EUNI
European university information. Links in countries from Austria to the UK.

New Zealand

List of universities in New Zealand
Universities, international rankings, other references and links. From Wikipedia.
New Zealand Educated
Covers not only institutions, but also living and studying in New Zealand.
New Zealand Universities
Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara
‘Responsible for the quality of university programmes, administers a range of scholarships and represents the universities in the public interest, both nationally and internationally’.

United Kingdom

Colleges and Universities
Universities and others that are funded institutions.
UK Academic Sites
Colleges, universities and related sites.
UK Higher Education Universities and Colleges
Alphabetical listing, contact essentials.

United States

America’s Best Colleges - Rankings
Ranking for degrees, ‘a detailed school directory, interactive tools, a step-by-step college admissions guide, articles, and more !’
Best Graduate Schools
‘U.S. News has collected data from more than 12 000 graduate programs to bring you this year’s rankings. Start by selecting a discipline for access to our top program rankings’.
College-Admission-Profiles
‘By reviewing the college and university class profiles on this site, students will be able to compare themselves with those admitted to the colleges in which they are interested. They may also be able to identify colleges and universities for further consideration. In addition to class profiles, we offer articles and links to websites with information on college preparation, college and university admission, scholarships, financial aid and related subjects’.
CollegeSearchDatabase
‘Our database includes information and data on over 7 000 U.S. colleges, universities and higher education institutions. Information presented includes college address and contact details, tuition, expenses and fees, financial aid options, admissions information, application contacts, degree programs and majors, graduation rates, retention rates, campus crime statistics, athletics groups and much more’.
Degree Directory
‘An online education directory with over 1 000 Colleges, Universities, and Career Schools in its database’.
Education Online Search
‘Education Online Search is a free college and career education portal, to help you learn about careers and the schools offering education and degrees for the fields you choose. You’ll find a collection of more than 400 career articles and education articles to guide you through many aspects of your search, including career descriptions, financial aid tips, advice for adult learners, info on standardised college tests, more’.
Psychology Degree
‘Guide to Campus and Online Psychology Degrees. Psychology Degree is a site devoted to inform students about their educational options for studying psychology at any level in the US’.
The Education Portal
‘Education-Portal.com is a directory of colleges, schools, and career information to help students make informed decisions about their education. We have also researched and written articles about more than 400+ career possibilities and tied them to our relevant degree classifications. These articles provide an overview of what each career is about, the educational requirements and qualifications’.
Universities in the United States
Find universities by name, state or specialisation. Advice on how to choose a university. Admissions information, financial aid, degree information and more. Covers the whole United States.
US Universities, Colleges, Community Colleges, …
By State [by Region].

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World’s Best Universities

Several from the US and UK plus top universities from several other countries.The individual university listing selects from those listed in the top 100 world universities. In alphabetic, not rank order.

Individual University Information

Ranking Sites & Information

Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Top 500 universities ranked. Statistics, ranking methods, FAQs. Done in sectional and regional PDF formats. Select Ranking from the menu options then sub-section required. A second site can be found here Academic Ranking of World Universities which covers 2011. The Methodology used for these rankings is discussed here..
Financial Times Business School Rankings
‘Whether you are looking for a full-time MBA or a two-week course to improve your management skills, the Financial Times rankings list the best management programmes available’.
Good University Guide [Times Online, UK]
UK universities. Provides information about different aspects, final numerical ranking and the opportunity to compare pairs of institutions.
Note that you now have to subscribe to access this online.
The Times 2012 Good University Guide is now also available under the same criteria.
Leiden Ranking
‘The Leiden Ranking measures the scientific performance of 500 major universities worldwide. The ranking aims to provide highly accurate measurements of the scientific impact of universities and of universities’ involvement in scientific collaboration’. Additional information can be found from this site CWTS - Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
Ranking Web of World Universities
‘The Ranking Web [or Webometrics Ranking] is published twice a year [data is collected during the first weeks of January and July for being public at the end of both months], covering more than 20 000 Higher Education Institutions worldwide.’.
SIR - SCImago Institutions Rankings
SIR World Report 2011.‘The most comprehensive Research Ranking of worldwide universities and research-focused institutions. This 3rd edition includes 3 042 institutions from all over the world grouped into five Institutional Sectors and classified by World Regions. The ranking adds two new performance indicators [to the previous four ones] to evaluate institutions’ research outcomes : Specialisation Index and Excellence Rate’. Australia can be found under the Oceania link.
THES-QS World University Rankings
Rankings for 2011-12 and several previous years. ‘Here you will can find all you need about the QS World University Rankings^® now including university fees information. View the leading overall universities in the world, the best universities by subject rank area, and the best universities as voted by employers’. Find Asian University Rankings here.
Times Higher Education
World University Rankings. Includes Top 200 universities, Top 50 in a range of areas, Top Tens, analysis, Methodology used and links to related areas.
U21 Rankings of National Higher Education Systems 2012
‘U21 has published new research into national education systems gives the first ranking of countries which are the best at providing higher education. The Universitas 21 ranking of national higher education systems has been developed to highlight the importance of creating a strong environment for higher education institutions to contribute to economic and cultural development, provide a high-quality experience for students and help institutions compete for overseas applicants’. This is part of the larger Universitas 21 site.

Other World University Information

Association of Commonwealth Universities
‘A Global Interchange of People, Knowledge and Skills’. Courses, support, Higher Education Professionals’ information and more on tertiary study throughout the British Commonwealth.
Braintrack Listing
‘BrainTrack is the world’s oldest and most complete online directory of universities and colleges. The web site provides links and free information for more than 10 000 higher education institutions in 194 countries’.
Canadian Universities
Colleges & Universities
‘Lists all the colleges and universities in every country of the world so that it becomes a huge directory. We hope that our information on Colleges and Universities will benefit students immensely, as it would help them to locate any University or College of the world at the click of the mouse’. Compiled in India and includes related information, e.g. scholarships.
Colleges & Universities [Scholar Stuff]
‘Thousands of links to colleges & universities around the world that offer undergraduate programs’. Listed under country and regional groupings.
Gradshare
‘GradShare - Where graduate students help each other succeed. Join the community’. UK based.
Higher Education Institutions Registry
‘Registry of addresses to higher education institutions worldwide. Being listed in HEIR does not imply any formal accreditation of the institution. HEIR is not affiliated with UNESCO’.
Ranking Web of World Universities
‘The Ranking Web is published twice a year [data is collected during the first weeks of January and July for being public at the end of both months], covering about 20 000 Higher Education Institutions worldwide. We intend to motivate both institutions and scholars to have a web presence that reflect accurately their activities’.
University Guide [UK]
Done by the Guardian Newspaper. Ranks all UK universities; advice on going to university; course information; postgraduate subject tables. Includes 2012 tables.
University of the People [UoPeople]
‘The world’s first tuition free online university dedicated to the global advancement and democratisation of higher education’.
World Lecture Hall
World universities. Information from faculties to course notes, assignments to online textbooks.
Yahoo : Colleges & Universities
Listed under countries from Antigua to Zimbabwe.

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Other Information

Advice & Programs

Foundation Studies
Information for international students about a pre-university year of study in Australia.
Get Ready for Uni
‘For students with disability who are planning for university’.
How Is University Different From High School ?
US site. Detail about the differences they see between teaching [school] and learning [university] environments.

Blogs

Beerken’s Blog
‘Higher Education, Science & Innovation from a Global Perspective’.
Changing Higher Education
Global HigherEd
The Wired Campus
University Ranking Watch

General Information

OzUniStudent
Information for tertiary students on higher education in Australia plus related areas.
ResearchJOBS
ResearchGATE. ‘An international job board for research, science and higher education. There, universities and academic institutions post employment offerings’. More than 1 000 positions listed in multiple academic areas.
Studies in Australia
Provides information about study at all levels - assistance, conditions, university rankings, accommodation, FAQs and more.
Study English Australia [Elicos]
Intensive English language courses assisting further academic study. Fee-based.

Qualification Information

Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement
‘On 4 September 2008 the Minister for Education the Hon Julia Gillard MP announced that the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement would be introduced to make Australian qualifications recognised and renowned throughout the world’. PDF downloads.
The AQF and International Students
‘Information for people who are planning to come to Australia as an international student and/or are interested in the Australian education system. Click on the link to the left for more information about Australia’s education system’.
Qualifications Recognition, Australian Education International
‘Provides official information and advice on the comparability of overseas qualifications with Australian qualifications. This aims to help overseas qualified people work and study in Australia’.

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