The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
based in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia. It is one of the founding members of
Group of Eight
The Group of Eight (G8) was an inter-governmental political forum from 1997 until 2014. It had formed from incorporating Russia into the Group of Seven, or G7, and returned to its previous name after Russia left in 2014.
The forum originate ...
, a coalition of Australian research-intensive universities.
Established in 1949, UNSW is a
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
, ranked 44th in the world in the 2021 ''
QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
'' and 67th in the world in the 2021 ''
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
''. It is one of the members of
Universitas 21
Universitas 21 (U21) is an international network of research-intensive universities. Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1997 with 11 members, it has grown to include twenty-eight member universities in nineteen countries and territories.
The uni ...
, a global network of research universities. It has international exchange and research partnerships with over 200 universities around the world.
According to the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject, UNSW is ranked top 20 in the world for Law, Accounting and Finance, and 1st in Australia for Mathematics, Engineering and Technology. UNSW is also one of the leading Australian universities in Medicine, where the median ATAR (Australian university entrance examination results) of its medical school students is higher than any other Australian undergraduate medical school.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The main campus is in the Sydney suburb of Kensington, from the
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...
(CBD). The creative arts faculty,
UNSW Art & Design
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
, is located in
Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...
, and subcampuses are located in the Sydney CBD as well as several other suburbs, including Randwick and Coogee. Research stations are located throughout the state of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
The university's second largest campus, known as ''UNSW Canberra at ADFA'' (formerly known as ''UNSW at ADFA''), abbreviated to ''UNSW Canberra'', is situated in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, in the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
(ACT).
ADFA
The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Au ...
is the
military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
of the
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
, and UNSW Canberra is the only national academic institution with a defence focus.
History
Foundation
The origins of the university can be traced to the
Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts
The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts (SMSA) is the longest running School of Arts (also known as a " Mechanics' Institute") and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia.
Founded in 1833, the school counted many of the colony's educat ...
established in 1833 and the Sydney Technical College established in 1878. These institutions were established to meet the growing demand for capabilities in new technologies as the New South Wales economy shifted from its pastoral base to industries fueled by the industrial age.
The idea of founding the university originated from the crisis demands of World War II, during which the nation's attention was drawn to the critical role that science and technology played in transforming an agricultural society into a modern and industrial one.O'Farrell, ''UNSW, a portrait: the University of New South Wales, 1949-1999'', UNSW Press, 1999, p. 15 The post-war Labor government of New South Wales recognised the increasing need to have a university specialised in training high-quality engineers and technology-related professionals in numbers beyond that of the capacity and characteristics of the existing
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
. This led to the proposal to establish the Institute of Technology, submitted by the then-New South Wales Minister for EducationBob Heffron, accepted on 9 July 1946.
The university, originally named the "New South Wales University of Technology", gained its statutory status through the enactment of the ''New South Wales University of Technology Act 1949 (NSW)'' by the
Parliament of New South Wales
The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...
in Sydney in 1949.
Early years
In March 1948, classes commenced with a first intake of 46 students pursuing programs including
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
,
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
,
mining engineering
Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...
, and
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
. At that time, the thesis programs were innovative. Each course embodied a specified and substantial period of practical training in the relevant industry. It was also unprecedented for tertiary institutions at that time to include compulsory instruction in humanities.O'Farrell, ''UNSW, a portrait: the University of New South Wales, 1949-1999'', UNSW Press, 1999 at p33
Initially, the university operated from the inner Sydney Technical College city campus in Ultimo as a separate institution from the college. However, in 1951, the Parliament of New South Wales passed the ''New South Wales University of Technology (Construction) Act 1951 (NSW)'' to provide funding and allow buildings to be erected at the
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
site where the university is now located.
The lower campus area of the Kensington campus was vested in the university in two lots, in December 1952 and June 1954. The upper campus area was vested in the university in November 1959.
Expansion
In 1958, the university's name was changed to the "University of New South Wales" reflecting a transformation from a technology-based institution to a generalist university. In 1960, the faculties of
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...
and
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
were established, with the
faculty of law
A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...
coming into being in 1971.
The university's first director was
Arthur Denning
Arthur Denning (23 April 1901 – 27 March 1975) was an Australian academic. He served as the first director of the University of New South Wales from 1949 to 1952. In 1955, the title of director was changed to Vice-Chancellor
A chancellor ...
(1949–1952), who made important contributions to founding the university. In 1953, he was replaced by
Philip Baxter
Sir John Philip Baxter (7 May 1905 – 5 September 1989) was a British chemical engineer. He was the second director of the University of New South Wales from 1953, continuing as vice-chancellor when the position's title was changed in 1955. Un ...
, who continued as vice-chancellor when this position's title was changed in 1955. Baxter's dynamic, if authoritarian, management was central to the university's first 20 years. His visionary, but at times controversial, energies saw the university grow from a handful to 15,000 students by 1968. The new vice-chancellor,
Rupert Myers
Sir Rupert Horace Myers, (21 February 1921 – 21 February 2019) was an Australian metallurgist, academic and university administrator, who was the third vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales from 1969 to 1981. He was the second ...
(1969–1981), brought consolidation and an urbane management style to a period of expanding student numbers, demand for change in university style, and challenges of student unrest.
In 1962, the academic book publishing company
University of New South Wales Press
The University of New South Wales Press Ltd. is an Australian academic book publishing company launched in 1962 and based in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney. The ACNC not-for-profit entity has three divisions: NewSouth Publishing (the publishing arm ...
was launched. Now an
ACNC
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is the regulatory authority for charities and not-for-profit organisations within Australia. The Commission was established in December 2012 as part of the ''Australian Charities ...
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
entity, it has three divisions: NewSouth Publishing (the publishing arm of the company), NewSouth Books (the sales, marketing and distribution part of the company), and the UNSW Bookshop, situated at the Kensington campus.
The stabilising techniques of the 1980s managed by the vice-chancellor, Michael Birt (1981–1992), provided a firm base for the energetic corporatism and campus enhancements pursued by the subsequent vice-chancellor,
John Niland
John Rodney Niland (born 10 September 1940) is an Australians, Australian academic and board director. Niland obtained a Bachelor and Master of Commerce from UNSW and his PhD is from the University of Illinois. He has held academic positions at ...
(1992–2002). The 1990s had the addition of fine arts to the university. The university established colleges in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
(1951) and
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...
in 1965 and 1975, respectively.
The former St George Institute of Education (part of the short-lived Sydney College of Advanced Education) amalgamated with the university from 1 January 1990, resulting in the formation of a School of Teacher Education at the former SGIE campus at Oatley. A School of Sports and Leisure Studies and a School of Arts and Music Education were also subsequently based at St George. The campus was closed in 1999.
Recent history
In 2012, private sources contributed 45% of the university's annual funding.
In 2010, the
Lowy Cancer Research Centre
The Lowy Cancer Research Centre is a facility at The University of New South Wales. It is Australia's first facility bringing together researchers in childhood and adult cancers, and one of the country's largest cancer research facilities, housi ...
, Australia's first facility to bring together researchers in childhood and adult cancer, costing $127 million, opened.New cancer research centre for Sydney ", ''Sydney Morning Herald''. Retrieved on 23 July 2007.
In 2003, the university was invited by Singapore's
Economic Development Board
The Economic Development Board (EDB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a leading global hub for business and investment.
His ...
to consider opening a campus there. Following a 2004 decision to proceed, the first phase of a planned $200 m campus opened in 2007. Students and staff were sent home and the campus closed after one semester following substantial financial losses.
In 2008, it collaborated with two other universities in forming The Centre for Social Impact. In 2019, the university moved to a trimester timetable as part of UNSW's 2025 Strategy. Under the trimester timetable, the study load changed from offering four subjects per 13-week semester, to three subjects per 10-week term. The change to trimesters has been widely criticised by staff and students as a money-making move, with little consideration as to the well-being of students.
In 2012, UNSW Press celebrated its 50th anniversary and launched the UNSW Bragg Prize for Science Writing. The annual Best Australian Science Writing anthology contains the winning and shortlisted entries among a collection of the year's best writing from Australian authors, journalists and scientists and is published annually in the NewSouth imprint under a different editorship. The UNSW Press Bragg Student Prize celebrates excellence in science writing by Australian high school students and is supported by the
Copyright Agency
Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) is an Australian not-for-profit public company that facilitates reuse of copyrighted material by third parties, collecting fees and delivering the payments to the creators. Its business names include Viscopy, Rightspor ...
Cultural Fund and UNSW Science.
In the 2019 Student Experience Survey, the University of New South Wales recorded the lowest student satisfaction rating out of all Australian universities, with an overall satisfaction rating of 62.9, which was lower than the overall national average of 78.4. UNSW's low student satisfaction numbers for 2019 was attributed to the university's switch to a trimester system. In the 2021 Student Experience Survey, the University of New South Wales recorded the lowest student satisfaction rating out of all New South Wales universities, and the second lowest nationwide behind the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
, with an overall satisfaction rating of 66.9, which was lower than the overall national average of 73.
On 15 July 2020, the university announced 493 job cuts and a 25 percent reduction in management due to the effects of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and a $370 million budget shortfall.
In May 2022, UNSW announced the university had received a $4.7 million in funding in order to pursue health prevention research. The funding aims to fund research on infectious diseases, drug and alcohol use and primary health care. Announced as part of NSW Health’s Prevention Research Support Program (PRSP), the research is designed to support NWS research organisations conducting prevention and early intervention research.
Controversies
* Sexist chants: In 2016, a group of male students from UNSW's
Philip Baxter College
Philip Baxter College, University of New South Wales is a residential college at the University of New South Wales in Kensington, Sydney, Australia. Phillip Baxter College and its two neighboring Colleges, Goldstein and Basser, are collec ...
were called out for glorifying rape after they chanted "I wish that all the ladies were holes in the road, and if I was a dump truck, I’d fill them with my load", among other slogans.
* Activist censorship: In June 2019, a video surfaced showing UNSW management telling a student to stop handing out pamphlets over the 'Cancel Trimesters' campaign aimed at reversing the implementation of the university's trimester system. Posters in connection to this campaign were also removed from campus.
* Fox on campus: In June 2020, a fox at UNSW's Kensington Campus bit three students after they mistook the non-domesticated animal for a cat. The affected students were treated at
Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital is a large of Tertiary referral hospital and large of teaching hospital from Faculty of Medicine in Chinese University of Hong Kong in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong..
Named after Charles, Prince of Wales (now ...
. Despite the incident, university students demanded for the fox to be the university's mascot. A petition started by Sydney Fox and Dingo Rescue to save any foxes on campus gathered 1400 signatures after UNSW threatened to remove the reported fox from campus.
* Racist Student Politics: In June 2020, UNSW student Claudia McDonnell who was a candidate in the UNSW Council Elections of the time, came into the spotlight after racist posts she made targeting Indians and blacks were exposed. McDonnell was also criticized for making transphobic posts and holding a sympathetic stance towards
colonialism
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
.
* Hong Kong social media post deletion: In August 2020, Australian Federal MPs criticized UNSW after it deleted a tweet calling for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
to take steps to tackle Chinese aggression in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. Chinese-Australian artist
Badiucao
Badiucao (; born c. 1986) is a Chinese political cartoonist, artist and rights activist based in Australia. He is regarded as one of China’s most prolific and well-known political cartoonists. He adopted his pen-name to protect his identity.
E ...
also suggested that pro-democracy Chinese students were living in 'fear'.
* Research misconduct: In October 2021, UNSW launched an investigative review after claims of research misconduct on studies pertaining to ageing were made.
* Defamation lawsuit: In May 2022,
Tharunka
''Tharunka'' is a student magazine published at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1953 at the then New South Wales University of Technology, ''Tharunka'' has been published in a variety of forms by various s ...
reported that a second-year Bachelor of Science student sued UNSW and two other students. The student claimed that UNSW had read and intercepted emails, and accused the university of referring him to
NSW Police
The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...
for trying to lodge complaints about two incidents from 2020.
Symbols
The
Grant of arms
A grant of arms or a governmental issuance of arms are actions, by a lawful authority such as an officer of arms or State Herald, conferring on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or armorial bearings. ...
was made by the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
on 3 March 1952. The grant reads:
:''Argent on a Cross Gules a Lion passant guardant between four Mullets of eight points Or a Chief Sable charged with an open Book proper thereon the word "SCIENTIA" in letters also sable.''
The lion and the four stars of the
Southern Cross
Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...
on the
St George's Cross
In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader.
Associated with the cru ...
have reference to the State of New South Wales which established the university; the open book with ''scientia'' ("knowledge") across its pages is a reminder of its purpose. The placement of ''scientia'' on the book was inspired by its appearance on the arms of Imperial College London formed in 1907. Beneath the shield are the Latin words within a
scroll
A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing.
Structure
A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...
: ''"Corde Manu et Mente"'' ("heart, hand and mind"), which when combined with ''scientia'' forms the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
of the university: ''Scientia Corde Manu et Mente'' or 'Knowledge by heart, hand and mind'. Following the rules of
English heraldry
English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the so-called Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the English kings ...
, the motto does not form part of the original grant of arms from 1952, and consequently does not require the formal alteration of the original grant by the College of Arms. The original motto of the University from 1952, however was ''Scientia Manu et Mente'' ("Knowledge by hand and mind"), which used the earlier motto of the Sydney Technical College (''Manu et Mente'' or 'by hand and mind') from which the university developed. In 2021, the motto was changed with approval from the College of Arms to its current form to reflect the university's brand concept of ‘collective difference’.
An update of the design and colours of the arms was undertaken in 1970, which provided a more contemporary design, yet retained all the arms' heraldic associations. In 1994, the university title was added to the UNSW arms, as was the abbreviation "UNSW", to create the UNSW symbol that is used for everyday and marketing purposes. In late 2013, the university launched a new change to the business name used in all branding and marketing as "UNSW Australia". In January 2017, this was changed again to "UNSW Sydney", with the ADFA Canberra campus changed to "UNSW Canberra". The official name of the university, which requires an amending
act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
ceremonial mace
A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the or ...
of the university is made of stainless steel with silver facings and a shaft of eumung timber. On the head are mounted four silver shields, two engraved with the arms of the State of New South Wales and two with the original-design arms of the university. A silver
Waratah
Waratah (''Telopea'') is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania). The best-known species in this genus is ''Telopea speci ...
, NSW's floral emblem, surmounts the head. The mace was donated to the university by
BHP
BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
and was presented by the company's chairman, Colin Syme, on 6 December 1962. A former NSW Government Architect,
Cobden Parkes Cobden may refer to:
People
* Richard Cobden, British manufacturer and politician
Places
;Australia
* Cobden, Victoria
** Cobden Football Club
;Canada
* Cobden, Ontario
;New Zealand
* Cobden, New Zealand
;United States
* Cobden, Illinois
* Co ...
, was appointed as the first official
mace-bearer {{Short description, Royal court official with a ceremonial or real mace
A mace-bearer, or macebearer, is a person who carries a mace, either a real weapon or ceremonial.
Armed
When the mace was still in actual use as a weapon, it was deemed fi ...
.
Campuses
The main UNSW campus, where most faculties are situated, is located on a site in
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
, Sydney.
UNSW Art & Design
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
is located in the inner suburb of
Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...
.
The main UNSW campus in Kensington is divided geographically into two areas: upper campus and lower campus, which were vested to the university in three separate lots. These two are separated mainly by an elevation rise between the quadrangle and the Scientia building. Roughly 15 minutes are needed to walk from one end to the other.
UNSW Canberra at ADFA (formerly known as UNSW at ADFA), abbreviated to UNSW Canberra, is situated in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. Its students are from the
military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
known as
ADFA
The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Au ...
, who are in training for the
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
, and as such has an integrated defence focus, with particular strengths in defence-related, security and engineering research.
The university also has additional campuses and field stations in Randwick, Coogee,
Botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
,
Dee Why
Dee Why is a coastal suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Northern Be ...
,
Cowan
Cowan or Cowans may refer to:
Places Australia
* Cowan, New South Wales
* Cowan Creek, a waterway to the north of Sydney, Australia
* Division of Cowan, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia
* Hundr ...
,
Manly Vale
Manly Vale is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Beaches r ...
Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...
,
Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...
,
Albury
Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
,
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...
,
Griffith
Griffith may refer to:
People
* Griffith (name)
* Griffith (surname)
* Griffith (given name)
Places Antarctica
* Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency
* Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land
* Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land
* Griffith Rid ...
, and
Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport is an airport and business park located in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, approximately from the Sydney Central Business District (CBD), Australia and west of Sydney Airport. It is situated on of land and has three pa ...
.
Research centres
The university has a number of purpose-built research facilities, including:
* UNSW Lowy Cancer Research Centre is Australia's first facility bringing together researchers in childhood and adult cancers, as well as one of the country's largest cancer-research facilities, housing up to 400 researchers.
*The Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre is a centre for the faculties of science, medicine, and engineering. It is used to study the structure and composition of biological, chemical, and physical materials.
*UNSW Canberra Cyber is a cyber-security research and teaching centre.
*The Sino-Australian Research Centre for Coastal Management (SARCCM) has a multidisciplinary focus, and works collaboratively with the
Ocean University of China
The Ocean University of China (), colloquially known as Haida () is a university in Qingdao. As one of the key comprehensive universities of China, it is under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese state Class A ...
in
coastal management
Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...
research.
Venues and other facilities
A number of theatre and music venues are at the university, many of which are available for hire to the general public. The UNSW Fitness and Aquatic Centre provides health and fitness facilities and services to both students and the general public.
Governance
The university is governed by the university council, which is responsible for acting on the university's behalf to promote its objectives and interests. The council comprises 15 members, including the
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
,
vice-chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...
, president of the academic board, two members appointed by the minister for education, five members appointed by the council, three members elected by university staff and two student-elected members.
The principal academic body is the academic board, which receives advice on academic matters from the faculties, college (
Australian Defence Force Academy
The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Aus ...
), and the boards of studies. It is responsible for academic policy setting, academic strategy via its eight standing committees, approval and delivery of programs, and academic standards. The board comprises 59 members, including the vice-chancellor, members of the executive team, deans and faculty presiding members, members elected from the academic staff, and six from the student body. The board advises the vice-chancellor and council on matters relating to teaching, scholarship and research and takes decisions on delegation from the council.
The
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of the university is the president and vice-chancellor, currently
Attila Brungs
Attila Brungs is the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of New South Wales. He was appointed to the role in January 2022. Prior to this role, he was the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS); a ro ...
. The deputy vice-chancellors and pro-vice-chancellors form part of an executive team that are responsible for academic operations, research policy, research management, quality assurance and external relations, including philanthropy and advancement.
Each of the faculties has its respective board, which are responsible for the teaching and examining of subjects within their scope.
UNSW Faculty of Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering is a constituent body of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. UNSW was formed on 1 July 1949, and the Faculty was established on 8 May 1950 with the inaugural meeting of the Faculty taking place on ...
UNSW Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science is a constituent body of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. It is UNSW's second largest Faculty (after Engineering). It has over 400 academic staff and over 700 research staff and students.
The Faculty c ...
*
UNSW
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
Canberra at
ADFA
The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Au ...
The university also has an association with the
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...
.
University rankings
In the 2023
QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
, UNSW is ranked 45th globally (4th in Australia and 2nd in New South Wales) and ranked 28th in the world for research impact and quality (Citations per Faculty). In addition, UNSW is ranked 13th in the world for Civil and Structural Engineering (1st in Australia), 20th in the world for Accounting and Finance (1st in Australia), 14th in the world for Law (2nd in Australia), and 23rd in the world for Engineering and Technology (1st in Australia), According to the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
In the 2022
SCImago Institutions Rankings
The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) since 2009 has published its international ranking of worldwide research institutions, the SIR World Report. The SIR World Report is the work of the SCImago Research Group,U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking UNSW is ranked 37th Best University in the world and 45th globally in Economics and Business.
The
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
2022 placed UNSW 70th in the world, and 46th in the world (1st in Australia) for Engineering, 55th in the world for Business and Economics (4th in Australia), and 24th in the world (2nd in Australia) for Law according to the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject.
In the 2022
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ...
, UNSW is ranked 64th in the world, 4th in Australia and 2nd in New South Wales. Also in 2022, UNSW had more subjects ranked in the Academic Ranking of World Universities than any other Australian university, with 21 subjects in the top 50 and 2 subjects in the top 10 in the world and ranked in more subjects than any other university in the world.UNSW had 10 subjects ranked first in Australia, including Water Resources (10th in the world), Civil Engineering (20th in the world), Library and Information Science (12th in the world), Remote Sensing (17th in the world), and Finance (29th in the world).
In the 2022
University Ranking by Academic Performance
The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) is a university ranking developed by the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University. Since 2010, it has been publishing annual national and global college and university rankin ...
Field Rankings, UNSW is ranked 10th in the world for Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services and 18th globally for Business. In the 2022
Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities
The Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities or NTU Ranking is a ranking system of world universities by scientific paper volume, impact, and performance output. The ranking was originally published from 2007 to 2011 by the ...
, UNSW is ranked 44th globally and is also ranked 41st in the world in the Economics and Business category. According to the 2022
U-Multirank
College and university rankings order the best institutions in higher education based on factors that vary depending on the ranking. Some rankings evaluate institutions within a single country, while others assess institutions worldwide. Ranking ...
World University Rankings by the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
, UNSW is ranked 31st in the world for Research and also ranked 5th in Australia across Teaching, Research, Knowledge Transfer, International Orientation and Regional Engagement.
In the 2021
Korea University Business School
Korea University Business School is the business school of Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. It was formed in 1946, becoming the first business school established in Korea. The school offers an undergraduate program, full-time and part-tim ...
Worldwide Business Research Rankings UNSW is ranked 1st worldwide for Finance, 11th in the world for Accounting and 27th globally for Management. In the 2021 CFAR Rankings by
Olin Business School
The Olin Business School is one of seven academic schools at Washington University in St. Louis. Founded in 1917, the business school was renamed for entrepreneur John M. Olin in 1988. The school offers BSBA, Master of Business Administration (M ...
at
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
, UNSW is ranked 16th in the world for Finance and 9th in the world for Business by Total Outcome/Output Indicator of Research Excellence. In the 2022
Australian Financial Review
''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...
Best Business School rankings of Australian Universities, UNSW is ranked 1st in Australia among 37 Universities listed. According to the ''Survey of Commercialisation Outcomes from Public Research (SCOPR) Summary Report for 2021,'' UNSW is ranked 1st nationally for the greatest number of startups and new spin-out companies with 14% of the national total companies established in Australia for that year.
In 2017, UNSW enrolled the highest number of Australia's top 500 high school students academically.UNSW has produced more millionaires than any other Australian university, according to the
Spear's Wealth Management Survey
''Spear's'' (formerly known as ''Spear's WMS'' or ''Spear's Wealth Management Survey''), founded in 2006 by William Cash, is a bimonthly British magazine for high-net-worth individuals and those in the financial service industries. It has been c ...
in 2016.
The Australian ''Good Universities Guide 2014'' scored UNSW 5-star ratings across 10 categories, more than any other Australian university.
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
ranked second with seven five stars, followed by ANU,
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
and the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
with six each.
Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...
ranked UNSW as having the highest number of graduates in "Australia's Top 100 Influential Engineers 2013" list at 23%, followed by
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
at 8%, the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
,
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
and the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
at 7%.
Selection and entry
Entry to a particular undergraduate degree program generally requires a certain
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. It was gradually introduced to most states and territories in 2009–10 and has sinc ...
, which varies by course. Some programs also take into account, in addition to a particular ATAR mark, performance in specialised tests, such as the
Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test
The Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT ) was a test previously administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in Australia and New Zealand to assist in the selection of domestic students for hea ...
for medicine and the Law Admission Test for law.
In 2019, UNSW had the most first preferences for high school students in the state of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
The university offers a bonus points scheme, "HSC Plus", which awards up to a maximum of 5 points for performance in year 12 Australian Senior Secondary Certificate courses relevant to UNSW undergraduate degrees. The scheme does not apply to actuarial studies, law, medicine or psychology.
UNSW offers several scholarships and support programs to high achieving students. The Co-op program is a scholarship and industry engagement program awarded to students across many programs in the built environment, engineering, science and the Australian School of Business. Students usually enter the program after an application and interview while in their final year of high school. The university also offers Scientia Scholarships to a number of commencing students who performed exceptionally in the Higher School Certificate, which provide funding of $10,000 per year for the duration of the student's program.
UNSW also offers a mature age entry scheme, the University Preparation Program for students age 20 or older, that can provide the requirements for entry into UNSW or other universities.
Student life
Accommodation
The university has a number of residential accommodation options, including
Philip Baxter College
Philip Baxter College, University of New South Wales is a residential college at the University of New South Wales in Kensington, Sydney, Australia. Phillip Baxter College and its two neighboring Colleges, Goldstein and Basser, are collec ...
,
Basser College
Basser College, University of New South Wales is a residential college at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Basser College and its two neighbouring Colleges, Goldstein and Phillip Baxter, are collectively known as the Kensington Co ...
,
Goldstein College
Goldstein College, University of New South Wales is one of the three original Kensington Colleges along with Philip Baxter College, University of New South Wales, Phillip Baxter and Basser College, University of New South Wales, Basser College, ...
,
Fig Tree Hall
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...
,
Colombo House
Colombo House is a residential college at the University of New South Wales' Kensington campus. Colombo House admitted its first residents in 2014, following a redevelopment of the university's Kensington Colleges.
History
Colombo House is n ...
Warrane College
Warrane College UNSW is an affiliated residential college at the University of New South Wales, Australia. The name of the College is derived from the Aboriginal word for the Sydney Cove area, "Warrang", highlighting the recognition by Warrane ...
The university has overseas exchange programs with over 250 overseas partner institutions. These include
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, McGill University, Penn State University, University of Pennsylvania (inc. Wharton), Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, Columbia University (summer law students only), University of California Berkeley, University of California Santa Cruz (inc. Baskin),
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, University of Michigan (inc. Ross),
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
(inc. Stern), University of Virginia, Mississippi State University, Cornell University, University of Connecticut,
Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
, University of Texas at Austin (inc. McCombs),
Maastricht University
Maastricht University (abbreviated as UM; nl, Universiteit Maastricht) is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen Dutch universities.
In 2021, 22,383 students studied at ...
,
University of Padua
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...
,
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
(law students only),
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...
,
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
, London School of Economics and ETH Zurich.
Student projects
Students of the university are involved in a number of projects, including:
*
Sunswift
The UNSW Solar Racing Team (also known as Sunswift after the name of their first race car) is the solar car racing team of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The team currently holds a number of world records and is best kno ...
Solar Racing Team, who hold the
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backst ...
world record for the fastest electric car over a distance and in 2015 are creating Australia's first road legal
solar car
A solar car is a solar vehicle for use on public roads or race tracks. Solar vehicles are electric vehicles that use self-contained solar cells to power themselves fully or partially from sunlight. Solar vehicles typically contain a rechargeable ...
to adhere to Australian Design Rules.
* rUNSWift, the university's team in the international
RoboCup Standard Platform League
The RoboCup Standard Platform League (SPL) is one of several leagues within RoboCup, an international competition with autonomous robotic soccer matches as the main event.
Overview
In the Standard Platform League all teams use identical (i.e., s ...
competition, is the most successful team in the world with wins in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2014 as well as coming second in 1999, 2002, 2006 and 2010.
* BLUEsat Satellite (development in progress)
*Impact Engineers are a group of cross disciplinary humanitarian engineers aspiring to make a difference to the world's developing communities. Impact Engineers currently focus their efforts in rural Sri Lanka however over the next three to five years, they will expand to launch projects across multiple developing countries
* UNSW Redback Racing UNSW's entrant into the SAE-Australasia Formula SAE-A Competition (National winners in 2000)
* The MAVSTAR (Micro Aerial Vehicles for Search, Tracking And Reconnaissance) project to develop a team of cooperative micro aerial and unmanned ground vehicles.
* The Developing Country Project Second year thesis students doing Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering are able to get involved. The project aims to assist villagers in
developing countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
to gain access to electricity to satisfy their energy needs in a clean and sustainable manner.
* iGEM (
International Genetically Engineered Machine
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is a worldwide synthetic biology competition that was initially aimed at undergraduate university students, but has since expanded to include divisions for high school students ...
) a worldwide synthetic biology competition. BABS UNSW entered their first team in 2015.
Arc @ UNSW Limited
''Arc @ UNSW Limited'' is the student organisation at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and is a
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
public company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (l ...
.
In 2005, the
Federal Parliament
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...
passed legislation making membership of student unions voluntary for the first time. This policy, known as
voluntary student unionism
Voluntary student unionism (VSU), as it is known in Australia, or voluntary student membership (VSM), as it is known in New Zealand, is a policy under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations ...
(VSU), threatened the funding model behind the four UNSW student organisations with compulsory membership provisions. A report commissioned by the university administration recommended that three of those organisations – the Student Guild of Undergraduates and Postgraduates, the University of New South Wales Union and the College of Fine Arts Students' Association – merge into a single student organisation, a structure in use at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
.
Arc was established on 15 August 2006 and launched early the following year, taking over the functions of three existing student organisations, the UNSW Student Guild, UNSW Union, and COFA Students' Association.
The organisation supports the activities of student clubs, student volunteer programs such as orientation week, student publications, two student galleries (Kudos Gallery and AD Space), and houses an elected student representative council. Arc operates the Roundhouse entertainment venue, the Graduation & Gift Store on UNSW's main campus in
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
, and until recently, The Whitehouse bar and café which shut down permanently on 23 April 2021. Arc also operates a student support service, providing legal and academic advocacy. Arc@UNSW exists independently from UNSW.
Arc has three constitutional student bodies:
# the Student Development Committee (SDC) – supporting clubs, volunteer programs, courses and activities,
# the Postgraduate Council (PGC) – representing the postgraduate community at UNSW and
# an elected Student Representative Council (SRC)
The student organisation is a major service provider on campus, running a number of retail outlets, student media such as ''
Tharunka
''Tharunka'' is a student magazine published at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1953 at the then New South Wales University of Technology, ''Tharunka'' has been published in a variety of forms by various s ...
'' and an entertainment venue, the Roundhouse. The Arc Student Representative Council represents students to the university and nationally and fights for their rights. Arc also provides support and funding to university clubs and societies and runs student volunteer programs such as Orientation Week.
In 2007, the University of New South Wales Sports Association and UNSW Lifestyle Centre merged to become UNSW Sport and Recreation then later absorbed into Arc @ UNSW to become Arc Sport. It runs the external sporting facilities and services and supports the 30 UNSW affiliated sporting clubs that compete both at home and abroad.
''Blitz''
''Blitz'' is a student publication, published online by Arc @ UNSW, based at the University of New South Wales. ''Blitz'' under this name first appeared in session 2, 1988, but a similar "what's on" style publication had been issued by the then University Union since the early 1970s. Initially it consisted of a simple sheet or two of paper, but it evolved into a magazine style format in session two 1994 when a former editor from another student publication on campus, ''
Tharunka
''Tharunka'' is a student magazine published at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1953 at the then New South Wales University of Technology, ''Tharunka'' has been published in a variety of forms by various s ...
'', was hired to found a weekly "what's on" magazine. ''Blitz'' sometimes pays casual contributors for submitted articles and photographs, and employs a student online editor, a student designer, a student TV producer and a student radio producer.
''Blitz'' typically covers the goings-on around campus and conducts interviews and publishes stories relating to current student activities. It widely publicises Arc services and activities on campus. Due to its non-partisan policy, it does not cover political issues, with the exception of
voluntary student unionism
Voluntary student unionism (VSU), as it is known in Australia, or voluntary student membership (VSM), as it is known in New Zealand, is a policy under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations ...
. However, in 2004 an edition of ''Blitz'' was withdrawn by the student union because it contained a guide to rolling a
joint
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...
. The editor Janet Duncan claimed there had been censorship of her editorial in the following issue. Arc @ UNSW announced that the organisation would continue to publish the magazine after the introduction of voluntary student unionism in 2007.
''Tharunka''
''Tharunka,'' meaning "
message stick
A message stick is a graphic communication device traditionally used by Aboriginal Australians. The objects were carried by messengers over long distances and were used for reinforcing a verbal message. Although styles vary, they are generally ...
" in the language of the
Aboriginal people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
local to the area, is a
student newspaper
A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
originally published by the UNSW
Students Union
A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...
from 1953 until 1992, when that body was replaced by the
University of New South Wales Student Guild
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...
. The Guild published ''Tharunka'' from 1993 until 2006 and the successor student organisation, Arc @ UNSW Limited, continued the publication of ''Tharunka'' from 2007.
''Tharunka'' is managed by a small editorial team and actively solicits contributions from the UNSW student body. Including staff wages, the publication's budget is under $50,000 per year.
Engagement with secondary and primary school students
UNSW engages with primary and secondary education, administering several national and international academic competitions for school age children. These include:
* The Australian Schools Science Competition – International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) is conducted by Educational Assessment Australia, UNSW Global Pty Limited. UNSW Global is a not-for-profit provider of education, training and consulting services and a wholly owned enterprise of the University of New South Wales. It provides exams for students in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, South Africa, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India and the Pacific region. It caters to students from year 3 (Australia) through year 12, examining skills in English, mathematics, science, computers, writing and spelling.
* International Competitions and Assessments for Schools-Mathematics – International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS). From 2003 to 2005, ICAS-Mathematics was called Australasian Schools Mathematics Assessment. Prior to 2003, it was known as the Primary Schools Mathematics Competition and was targeted at primary schools.
* The UNSW School Mathematics Competition – Since 1962, the School of Mathematics and Statistics has run the UNSW School Mathematics Competition. This competition is a three-hour open book olympiad-style exam designed to assess mathematical insight and ingenuity rather than efficiency in tackling routine examples. Competition results as used as part of the assessment criteria for some university scholarships awarded by the UNSW School of Mathematics and Statistics.
* The UNSW COMPUTING ProgComp – Since 1997, The School of Computer Science and Engineering (UNSW COMPUTING) has run the UNSW COMPUTING ProgComp. This competition has the overall aim of raising awareness amongst high school students of the craft of programming and to encourage students to develop and apply their computing knowledge and skills.
* The UNSW COMPUTING Robotics Workshopscomputing.unsw.edu.au – UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering (UNSW COMPUTING) has developed specialised robotic workshops for school students. They focus on the use of the Lego NXT technology combined with the popular RoboCup Junior competition for schools. UNSW COMPUTING is also a national and NSW state sponsor of
RoboCup Junior RoboCup Junior (RCJ), sometimes stylised RobocupJunior, is a division of RoboCup, a not-for-profit robotics organisation. It focuses on education and aims to introduce the larger goals of the RoboCup project (creating robots) to primary and seco ...
.
Educational Assessment Australia
Educational Assessment Australia (EAA) is a
not-for-profit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
previously owned by the University of New South Wales. It wa acquired by Janison Education Group on 31 May 2020. It is a national and international educational assessment organisation specialising in large-scale assessment programs including the
International Competitions and Assessments for Schools
International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) is a suite of full-colour online competitions designed specifically for primary and secondary students. ICAS are conducted annually in Australia and in over 20 countries in Asia, Afric ...
(ICAS) in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, India, South Africa and the Pacific region. EAA also provides scanning, data analysis and reporting services to commercial and educational institutions.
Notable people
Notable alumni include:
*
Scott Morrison
Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...
, 30th
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
*
Gladys Berejiklian
Gladys Berejiklian (born 22 September 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021.
Berejiklian became a member ...
, former premier of New South Wales
*
Mark Bouris
Mark Leigh Bouris is an Australian businessman who is best known as the founder and chairman of 'Wizard Home Loans', Australia's second largest non-bank mortgage lender behind Aussie Home Loans. He is now the chairman of Yellow Brick Road, a b ...
, CEO of Yellow Brick Road and television personality
*
Mike Cannon-Brookes
Michael Cannon-Brookes (born 17 November 1979) is an Australian billionaire, co-founder, and co-CEO of the software company Atlassian. Cannon-Brookes often carries the epithet of ''accidental billionaire'' after he and his business partner Sco ...
, CEO of software company
Atlassian
Atlassian Corporation () is an Australian software company that develops products for software developers, project managers and other software development teams. The company is domiciled in Delaware, with global headquarters in Sydney, Austra ...
*
Bob Carr
Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later en ...
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former premier of New South Wales
*
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...
, former premier of Queensland
* Roger Corbett, former chairman of the Reserve Bank of Australia
*
Glyn Davis
Glyn Conrad Davis AC (born 25 July 1959) is an Australian academic who is the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 30 May 2022, and commenced on 6 June 2022.
Davis was pre ...
, vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne
*
John Deeble
John Stewart Deeble (9 July 1931 – 5 October 2018) was an Australian academic, health economist and the architect of Medicare in Australia.
Early life
A native of Wimmera, Deeble grew up near Donald, Victoria, and left school aged 15.
His ...
, architect of Medicare Australia
*
Tim Flannery
Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, Conservation biology, conservationist, Exploration, explorer, author, Science communication, science communicator, activist and p ...
, mammalogist, palaeontologist, activist and author
*
Lucy Turnbull
Lucinda Mary Turnbull Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (née Hughes; born 30 March 1958) is an Australian businesswoman, philanthropist, and former Local government in Australia, local government politician. She served on the Sydney City ...
Maha Vajiralongkorn
Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...
of Thailand
*
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician.
In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...
, rock musician, former federal politician
*
Rebel Wilson
Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson (born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds; 2 March 1980) is an Australian actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing as Tou ...
, actress, writer, director
*
Karl Kruszelnicki
Karl Sven Woytek Sas Konkovitch Matthew Kruszelnicki (born 1948), often referred to as "Dr Karl", is an Australian science communicator and populariser, who is known as an author and a science commentator on Australian radio and television.
K ...
, scientist and media presenter
* Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, First Women Director, Indian Statistical Institute and Padmashee Award winner, India
*
Marise Payne
Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and as Minister for Women from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for New South Wales si ...
, senator for New South Wales and Minister for Foreign Affairs
*
Bob Bellear
Robert William "Bob" Bellear (17 June 1944 – 15 March 2005) was an Australian social activist, lawyer and judge who was the first Aboriginal Australian judge. He served as a judge of the District Court of New South Wales from 1996 until his d ...
, first indigenous judge
* Mehdi Ghazanfari, Minister of Commerce of Iran
*
Charlie Teo
Charles Teo AM ( zh, 张正贤; born 24 December 1957)''Who's Who in Australia'', ConnectWeb. is an Australian neurosurgeon.
Early life and education
Teo was born to Chinese-Singaporean parents who immigrated to Australia. He attended The Sc ...
, neurosurgeon
*
John M. Green
John M. Green (born 1953) is an Australian thriller writer, publisher and company director. He is a former executive director of an investment bank and was a partner of two law firms. Previously a director of publisher ''UNSW Press'', he co-foun ...
, author, publisher and company director
*
Foo Mee Har
Foo Mee Har ( zh, s=胡美霞, p=Hú Měixiá; born 1966) is a Singaporean politician and businesswoman. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Parliament of Singapore, Member of Parliament (MP) representing the ...
, Singaporean MP and global head of priority anf international banking, Standard Chartered Bank
* David James, former head of diabetes and obesity at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research
*
Betty Kitchener
Betty Ann Kitchener (born 1951) is an Australian mental health educator who co-founded Mental health first aid training.Office of Women’s Policy, Department of Human Services2011 Victorian Honour Roll of Women.Melbourne, Victoria.Kitchener, B. ...
, founder of
mental health first aid
Mental health first aid is a training program that teaches members of the public how to help a person developing a mental health problem (including a substance misuse problem), experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a ...
*
Sussan Ley
Sussan Penelope Ley (pron. , "Susan Lee"; ; born 14 December 1961) is an Australian politician who has been deputy leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022. She has been member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales seat of Farrer since 2 ...
, Minister for the Environment, member of the House of Representatives
* Robert McClelland, former attorney-general of Australia
*
Cindy May McGuire
Cindy May McGuire ( , su, ᮎᮤᮔ᮪ᮓ᮪ᮚ᮪ ᮙᮃᮚ᮪ ᮙ᮪ᮎ᮪ᮌᮥᮄᮛᮨ; born June 27, 1996) is an Indonesian medical doctor, actress, beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Puteri Indonesia Lingkungan 2022. She was als ...
,
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
beauty pageant
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
Miss International 2022
Miss International 2022 was the 60th Miss International pageant, held at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan on December 13, 2022. Sireethorn Leearamwat of Thailand crowned Jasmin Selberg of Germany as her successor at the end of the even ...
.
*King
Tupou VI
Tupou VI (; born 12 July 1959) is the King of Tonga. He is the younger brother and successor of the late King George Tupou V. He was officially confirmed by his brother on 27 September 2006 as the heir presumptive to the Throne of Tonga, as his ...
of Tonga
*
Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress.
Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymble Ladies' College, where she ...
, prominent Australian film, stage and television actress
* Prince Mak, idol group member of Korean boyband
JJCC
JJCC (pronounced J-J-C-C; Hangul: 제이제이씨씨) is a five-member South Korean hip hop boy band formed under the management of Jackie Chan Group Korea.
*
Hamid Mirzadeh
Hamid Mirzadeh ( fa, حمید میرزاده, born November 29, 1950) is an Iranian politician and academic who was the 3rd president of the Islamic Azad University system.
Early life and education
He was born on 29 November 1950 in Sirjan, Kerm ...
, Iranian politician and academic who is the third and current president of the Islamic Azad University system
*
Glenn Murcutt
Glenn Marcus Murcutt AO (born 25 July 1936) is an Australian architect and winner of the 1992 Alvar Aalto Medal, the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the 2009 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the 2021 Praemium Imperiale. Gle ...
, architect
*
Kerry Nettle
Kerry Michelle Nettle (born 24 December 1973) is a former Australian Senator and member of the Australian Greens in New South Wales. Elected at the 2001 federal election on a primary vote of 4.36 percent with One Nation and micro-party pref ...
, Australian Greens senator
*
Anne-Marie Schwirtlich
Anne-Marie Lucienne Schwirtlich , is an Australian librarian who was the Director-General of the National Library of Australia from 2011 to 2017. In 2015, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Born in Bombay in India to a Fre ...
, director-general of the
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
*
Matthew Miles
Matthew William Miles is an Australian veterinarian, businessman, and executive in the Australian health industry. He is the Chief Executive Officer of MS Research Australia, Australia's largest nonprofit organisation, which won the 2017 Telstra ...
, CEO of MS Research Australia
*
David Wong Dak Wah
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima David Wong Dak Wah (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Vòng Tha̍t-fà''; born 20 August 1953) is a Malaysian lawyer and judge who served as the fifth Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.
Education
Wong attended the Universit ...
, chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak
*
Shaun Gladwell
Shaun Gladwell (born 1972) is an Australian contemporary artist whose work spans moving image, painting, photography, sculpture, installation, performance and virtual reality.
Early life
Gladwell was born in Sydney in 1972 and graduated from Syd ...
Barbara Cleveland
Barbara Cleveland is an Australian contemporary performance art collective who primarily work on Cadigal, Gadigal land in Sydney, Australia. Barbara Cleveland's works examine the histories of visual and performing arts and are informed by queer ...
, contemporary performance artist
*
Ujjwal Maulik
Ujjwal Maulik is an Indian computer scientist and a professor. He is the former chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He also held the position of the principal-in-char ...
, Computer Scientst, Professor and IEEE Fellow, India
*
Pranav Mohanlal
Pranav Mohanlal (born 13 July 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam films. The son of actor Mohanlal, began his acting career as a child artist in '' Onnaman'' (2002) with his father in the lead role, and won the Kerala State Film Awa ...
, Indian actor known for his work in Malayalam films
* Mark Taylor, former captain of the Australian cricket team
*
Usman Khawaja
Usman Tariq Khawaja ( ur, ; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian cricketer who represents Australia and Queensland. Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Australi ...
, cricketer
* Geoff Lawson, cricketer
* Sam Chui, Chinese aviation blogger based in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
*
Del Kathryn Barton
Del Kathryn Barton (born 11 December 1972) is an Australian artist who began drawing at a young age, and studied at UNSW Art & Design (formerly the College of Fine Arts) at the University of New South Wales. She soon became known for her psych ...
, visual artist
*
Mitchell Butel
Mitchell Patrick Butel (born 10 February 1970) is an Australian actor, singer, director and writer. He is best known for his work in theatre, including musical and opera productions. He has been the artistic director of the State Theatre Compa ...
, actor and director
*
Kerry Chant
Kerry Gai Chant is a public health physician who has been the Chief Health Officer of New South Wales, Australia, since 2008. She gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic providing regular public health advice for New South Wales, a con ...
, Doctor, NSW Chief Health Officer
*Sita Chutiphaworakan,
Actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
and
Model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
Initiative
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a pu ...