Key Facts & Data
27 Mar 2017
Find the 2017 Data Snapshot here (PDF 729.5KB).
Australia's universities make a strong contribution to Australia's economic prosperity and social well being.
- Universities have more than one million enrolled students.
- Universities employ over 100,000 staff.
- International education is Australia’s largest service export
- Universities are significant contributors to their local communities by providing local employment opportunities, research, industry collaboration, building vital infrastructure and through local community and sporting grants.
- Australia’s regional universities play a vital role in supporting regional economies.
- University research stimulates innovation and delivers solutions to the economic, social and demographic challenges facing the nation.
- The rate of return on publicly-funded research is generally between 20 and 60 per cent.
Higher Education and Research Facts and Figures
Universities Australia's Higher Education and Research Facts and Figures (PDF 3.4MB) publication provides an overview of the funding and performance of Australian universities over time. The report includes analysis on:
- Real revenue per Commonwealth supported place
- Government funding to support teaching and learning
- Expansion of income contingent loans
- Australian Government support for science, research and innovation
- University research income and spending on R&D
- The changing composition of Australian Government funding for university research
- Key indicators on the performance of Australia’s higher education system.
The data and figures reported in the publication are accurate as of 3 November 2015.