About The University of Sydney
History of Thinking Forward
“Shaping Changes and improving lives from the start”
Our founding principle as Australia’s first university was that we would be a modern and progressive institution. It’s an ideal we still hold dear today. When William Charles Wentworth proposed the idea of Australia’s first university in 1850, he imagined “the opportunity for the child of every class to become great and useful in the destinies of this country”. We’ve stayed true to that original value and purpose by promoting inclusion and diversity for the past 160 years.
It’s the reason that, as early as 1881, we admitted women on an equal footing to male students. Oxford University didn’t follow suit until 30 years later, and Jesus College at Cambridge University did not begin admitting female students until 1974. It’s also why, from the very start, talented students of all backgrounds were given the chance to access further education through bursaries and scholarships.
Today we offer hundreds of scholarships to support and encourage talented students, and a range of grants and bursaries to those who need a financial helping hand.
QS World University Rankings 2015-16
QS World University Rankings 2015-16- We were ranked 45 in the world in the 2015-16 prestigious QS World University Rankings.
- It’s testimony to the broad spectrum of strengths displayed across our 16 faculties, many of which have impressive rankings themselves.
- Leading the University’s results were Arts and Humanities, which achieved a rank of equal 14th globally and second in Australia.
- Both Life Sciences and Medicine and Social Sciences and Management were ranked 20th in the world, with Life Sciences and Medicine also maintaining their standing as second in Australia for the third year running.
The multi-disciplinary strength of the University’s research was confirmed in the QS results, with Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences and Social Science and Management all ranked in the top five for their disciplines in Australia, each receiving a ranking of third domestically. Engineering and Technology also rose 14 places in the rankings from joint 44th to joint 30th globally.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015
In the 2015 QS World University Rankings by subject, Education at Sydney ranked nine in the world, and the University proved best in Australia in English Language and Literature (18), Medicine (17) and Veterinary Science (11). Among our other top 20 world rankings were Law (13), Architecture/Built Environment (17), Engineering – Civil and Structural (19) and Accounting and Finance (19).
Times Higher Education list 2015
The 2015 Times Higher Education (THE) list, which prioritises research citations, research income, reputation and learning environment, ranked us at 56 out of more than 1100 universities around the world. The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings are the only global university performance tables to judge universities across all of their core missions, including citations, research, teaching, international outlook and industry income. The annual rankings measure factors including academic reputation, citation statistics, international mix, and research income and degrees awarded per staff.
The University of Sydney’s rise in the 2015-16 rankings was driven by increases in all indicators, with the largest rises in academic reputation, which jumped 24 percent, and citations which saw a 12 percent increase. Research and industry income also both climbed more than 10 percent.
Not just bright… but beautiful
Not just bright… but beautifulWe don’t just rank highly for academic achievement; our main Camper-down/Darlington campus is regularly recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world. The UK’s Daily Telegraph placed us at number 10 in its Beautiful Universities List, and we’re number nine in the The Huffington Post’s top 15 run down.
Meanwhile, Sydney itself gets a nod. In the QS Best Student Cities, which is based on affordability, quality of living, employer activity and diversity of students, it’s ranked first in Australia and fourth worldwide. And in 2014, global consulting firm AT Kearney’s Global Cities Index put Sydney ahead of 83 cities as the world’s most popular city to study in for international students. Each year the city welcomes 50,000 visiting students, with around 35,000 studying on campuses in the City of Sydney area.
