For the 14th year in a row, the University of New England (UNE) has earned the top five-star rating from the Good Universities Guide for the quality of its student experience – a record unmatched by any other Australian public university.
UNE’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brigid Heywood, said the results reflected one of UNE’s founding principles: that the University’s role is not to teach subjects or courses of study, but educate people.
“Our five-star ratings in student satisfaction show that we remain true to our philosophy of putting students first,” Prof. Heywood said.
UNE was also awarded the top rating in five other important categories: Teaching Quality, Student Support, Full Time Employment, graduate Starting Salary and as an educator of students who are the first in their family to attended university.
UNE helps its students become highly competitive in the world of work, with the Guide awarding five stars for UNE performance in Graduate Employment and Median Graduate Starting salary.
The Guide found that 90 per cent of UNE’s Business and Management graduates are in full-time work within four months of graduating, on a median salary of $75,000. UNE’s Law and Psychology graduates also fall into the highest category for graduate starting salaries.
“UNE’s emphasis on supporting students, wherever they are located and whatever their life course agenda, has been central to the university’s outlook since it became a global pioneer of distance education in 1954,” Prof. Heywood said.
“The five-star rating for ‘Overall Experience’ has now been awarded to UNE for 14 years in a row, an unequalled record of excellence.”
UNE also keeps its five-star rating for “Teaching Quality” in 2019. This rating has been awarded to the university for 12 of the past 13 years.
Prof. Heywood reflected that the Good Universities Guide ratings represent an endorsement of the quality and dedication of UNE staff over the past 14 years, and the relevance of the courses they deliver.
“UNE regards our students as individuals, with individual requirements, and we aim to meet them wherever they are in life to help them attain a higher education.”
“We are constantly adapting and innovating the way we deliver education so that we can sustain this personal approach in a constantly changing world. We understand that people must adapt to remain effective in a dynamic workplace, and the University is also adapting to ensure we can support our students with the knowledge, skills and meaning they need to be successful in and for a modern Australia.”
“I am proud that the people who work collectively to enable the UNE mission have had their efforts once again thoroughly endorsed by this national survey. We are working to ensure that UNE continues to excel in its support for students, and to expand on its five-star credentials.”
Read the full Good Universities Guide results here.
