NUMBER OF AUSTRALIAN MEMBER UNIVERSITIES = 39

DATA SNAPSHOT | 2018 1

 Australia has one of
the best higher
education systems in
the world.
This handy data snapshot gives a sense of the profound
economic, social and cultural contributions of Australia’s
world class universities.

Belinda Robinson
Universities Australia
Chief Executive
University education added an estimated
$140 billion to the Australian
economy in 2014. Our universities
educated more than 1.3 million
Australian and international
students in 2016 and directly employed
120,000 full-time equivalent staff.
 - 2016 Student Data
Source: DET, Selected Higher Education Statistics
ALL ENROLLED STUDENTS 2016 = 1,457,209

Domestic students Commencing students

1,066,073 595,220
International students Bachelor 950,932 Continuing students
391,136 Other Undergraduate 56,503 861,989
Postgraduate coursework 335,848
Postgraduate research 66,010
Enabling 28,500
Non-Award 19,416

COMMONWEALTH FUNDED STUDENT PLACES IN 2016 616,196

5
 Source: DET, uCube

39
outstanding universities
are members of
Universities Australia.
Australia has 41 local universities (including a small specialist university) and 2 overseas institutions that operate
here. All 37 of Australia’s public universities are UA members, as are two of the three private universities.

UNIVERSITY SIZE BY NUMBER OF ENROLLED STUDENTS

4 1
6
4
<10,000 10,001- 20,001- 30,001-
20,000 30,000 40,000

6
11 40,001- 50,001- >60,000
50,000 60,000

AVERAGE COMMONWEALTH GRANT SCHEME FUNDING PER STUDENT PLACE (EFTSL) $11,233
7
Australia has a diverse mix of 1.5 million students at
our world class higher education system.
 DOMESTIC STUDENT PROPORTIONS BY CATEGORY 2016

0% 100%

Commonwealth supported students (EFTSL) 83.2%

Studying bachelor degree 71.2%

Studying on-campus 66.4%

Studying full-time 65.9%

Less than 25 years old 61%

Female 58%

Source: DET, Selected Higher Education Statistics - 2016 student data and uCube
9
 Local and international
students pursue a wide range
of academic disciplines.
 COMMONWEALTH SUPPORTED AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PLACES, BY FIELD OF EDUCATION, 2016

Commonwealth Natural and Physical Sciences

Overseas students
supported student Information Technology
places 293,795
places 615,728 Engineering and Related Technologies
Architecture and Building
Agriculture Environmental and
Related studies
Health
Education
Management and Commerce
Society and Culture
Creative Arts
Food Hospitality and Personal Services
Mixed Field Programs

Source: DET, uCube

11
Australian universities make it possible to study
part-time around work and family responsibilities.
 Source: DET, uCube
STUDENT ENROLMENTS AND EQUIVALENT FULL-TIME STUDENT LOAD

1,600,000
EFTSL Total students
1,400,000

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

13
OVER THE LAST DECADE, THE NUMBER
OF STUDENTS FROM LOW SES

50%
BACKGROUNDS HAS INCREASED BY MORE THAN
 48%

Source: DET, Selected Higher Education Statistics - 2016 Student Data

GROWTH IN DOMESTIC UNDERGRADUATE ENROLMENTS BY EQUITY GROUP
* Definition changes from 2006 SEIFA to 2011 SEIFA from 2015
** Definition changes from 2006 MCEETYA to 2011 ASGS from 2015 55% increase in
regional and
increase in remote students**
students from 163,292
low SES*
140,462

106% 110,124
increase in
89%
90,467
students with
a disability increase in
50,206 Indigenous
students
24,311
13,320
7,038

2008 2016 2008 2016 2008 2016 2008 2016

15
More than 330,000 higher education
students graduated in 2016.
NUMBER OF AWARD COURSE COMPLETIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS, BY COURSE LEVEL

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Undergraduate Postgraduate
17
 AUSTRALIA’S UNIVERSITY
COMPLETION RATES REMAIN HIGH.
NUMBER OF AWARD COURSE COMPLETIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS, BY CITIZENSHIP CATEGORY

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Domestic students International students

19
39% OF 25-34
YEAR OLDS IN AUSTRALIA
NOW HAVE A BACHELOR
DEGREE OR HIGHER.
 PROPORTION OF PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA AGED 25-34 WITH A BACHELOR DEGREE OR HIGHER

39.4%
40.0%
36.8% 36.8% 37.3% 37.1%
34.6% 34.0% 35.0% 35.2%
35.0%
31.9%
30.6%
30.0% 29.2% 29.2%
27.0%
25.0%

20.0%

15.0%

10.0%

5.0%

0.0%
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Source: ABS 6227.0, Education and Work, May 2017

21
People from major cities are
twice as likely to hold a degree
than those from regional and
remote areas.

Source: ABS 6227.0, Education and Work, May 2016

 PROPORTION OF PEOPLE AGED 25-34 WITH A BACHELOR DEGREE OR HIGHER, BY REMOTENESS AREA
44.6%

39.6% 39.4% Australian average 2017

40.0%

30.0%

22.9%
20.5% 20.7%
20.0% 18.8%
16%
14.5%

10.0%
2010
2017
0.0%
Major Cities Inner Regional Outer Regional Remote and
Very Remote
Source: ABS 6227.0, Education and Work, May 2017
23
WITH A REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE,
AUSTRALIA IS ONE OF THE TOP
DESTINATIONS FOR
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS
 Source: DET, uCube
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLMENTS

400,000

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Undergraduate Postgraduate Enabling Non-Award
25
Our universities welcome students
from all around the world.
 - 2005 and 2016 Student Data
Source: DET, Selected Higher Education Statistics
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS BY COUNTRY OF PERMANENT HOME RESIDENCE

140,000

120,000
2005 2016
100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0 s t
t t d ica a st an es d nd no
t
as as an ric a ar an e
-E -E n ia er Af dle E W
h- pe rn urop aa ry
r th ia u th ia h er l As Am t h S ah a r t o e a ni tica u nt wn
ut ra r id b- ric No Eur
h e rc
No As So As No e M Su Af ut n E Oc nta Co kno
So ent th So ster A
C
a nd Ea 27
THE EDUCATION OF
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS IS
AUSTRALIA’S 3RD
LARGEST EXPORT
BEHIND IRON ORE
AND COAL.
 Australia, September 2017
Source: ABS 5368.0, International Trade in Goods and Services,
THE VALUE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION EXPORTS
$28.6
$24.7
$25.0
$21.9
$19.5 $18.8 $19.0
$20.0
$18.0
$17.6 $17.3

$15.0 $14.4
$ billions

$10.0

$5.0

$0.0
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

29
AUSTRALIA’S INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SECTOR IS VALUED AT

$30.9 BILLION A YEAR

Interim 2017 calendar year estimate ABS 5368, Dec 2017

 Note: Only includes the value of education-related travel exports.
GDP CONTRIBUTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SECTOR, BY STATES (2016 - 2017)

Source: ABS International trade: Supplementary Information, Financial Year, 2016-17 (Cat. No 5368.0.55.003) 31
 AUSTRALIA’S
WORLD CLASS
UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH
INCREASINGLY
ATTRACTS
GLOBAL AND
INDUSTRY
FUNDING.

Source: 2017-18 SRI Budget Tables and DET, 2016 HERDC -

Research Income publication
 SOURCES OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INCOME (IN 2016 DOLLARS)
6,000

5,000

4,000
$ million

3,000

2,000

1,000

0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Research block grant funding (SRI Source) Australian Government - CRC International funding
Australian Government competitive grants State and local government Industry and other funding
Australian Government - other public sector
33
Australian universities have diversified their
sources of INCOME in recent years.
 2016 TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE ($30.1 BILLION)

Other income 6.3%

Consultancy and contract research 4.0%
Investment income 3.2% Australian Government grants 38.6%
State and local governments 2.2%
Other fees and charges 5.7%

International student fees 20.7%

HELP payment 17.5%

Upfront student contributions 1.7%

Source: DET, Financial Report of Higher Education Providers, 2016

35
PEOPLE
UNIVERSITIES ALSO INVEST HEAVILY IN THEIR
 Source: DET, Financial Report of Higher Education Providers, 2016
2016 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURE ($28.6 BILLION)

Academic staff expenses 28.6%

Other expenses 32.3%

Finance cost 0.7%

Repairs and maintenance 2.7% Non-academic staff expenses 25.8%
Depreciation and amortisation 7.2%
Payroll tax 2.7%

37
AS STUDENT ENROLMENTS
HAVE GROWN OVER THE
PAST DECADE, SO HAVE
STAFF NUMBERS.
 TOTAL ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF, INCLUDING CASUAL STAFF (FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT)

70,000 Below Lecturer

60,000 (Level A)
Lecturer
50,000 (Level B)
Senior Lecturer
40,000 (Level C)
30,000 Above
Senior Lecturer
20,000 (Level D & above)
10,000
Non-academic
classification
0 level group
1996 2006 2016 1996 2006 2016
Academic Staff Professional Staff

Source: DET, Selected Higher Education Statistics - Staff Data (various years)
39
SOME STAFF SPECIALISE IN
TEACHING OR RESEARCH
BUT MANY COMBINE BOTH
 Source: DET, Selected Higher Education Statistics - 2016 Staff Data
NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT ACADEMIC STAFF, BY FUNCTION

30,000
27,455
25,045 25,271
25,000

20,000
15,996 15,854
15,000
12,262
10,000 8,566 8,246
6,833
5,000

0
1996 2006 2016 1996 2006 2016 1996 2006 2016
Teaching only function Research only function Teaching and Research

41
These figures are a reminder of the
many ways in which our
universities drive Australia’s
economic growth, extend the
frontiers of human knowledge,
make life-saving breakthroughs
and help the nation to transition in
an era of digital disruption.
Data as of 5 February 2018

The student data reported in this publication includes all higher

education providers reporting their student data to Department of
Education and Training (DET) through the Higher Education
Information Management System (HEIMS). In 2016, 92 per cent of
these higher education students studied at 39 UA member universities.

43
Universities Australia
1 Geils Court, Deakin ACT 2600
T | (02) 6285 8100
universitiesaustralia.edu.au