New South Wales, sometimes called the Premier state, is known for its golden beaches, rich history and its capital city, Sydney. Sydney and surrounding cities are also known for their many universities and campuses, with Sydney home to some of the best known universities in Australia, with academic excellence at their core, with some ranking highly in international university scores.
Such a choice can make picking one university hard, and since the majority of students surveyed by Canstar Blue (76%) said their university degree was vital for their future career prospects, and 56% called university the best time of their life from a social perspective, making the right choice is important.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 719 current students and graduates of the past 10 years to identify the universities students rated the best in New South Wales. There are a lot of university ratings out there, but we wanted to take a different approach by asking students to rate their university on a range of factors that were important to them and to understand how satisfied they were overall with their university experience. Please see our methodology here.
The winning university is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Universities must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all universities available in New South Wales have been compared in this survey. In our 2023 student satisfaction review, we collected sufficient data for nine universities (assessed by domestic and international students) to be included in our ratings. So, which are the highest-rated universities in NEw South Wales for student satisfaction?
Here are the universities in New South Wales that were included in Canstar Blue’s 2023 student satisfaction survey, listed below in alphabetical order.
| University | Locations |
|---|---|
| Charles Sturt University (CSU) | Bathurst, Dubbo, Port Macquarie & regional centres |
| Macquarie University | Sydney |
| University of New England (UNE) | Armidale & regional centres |
| University of Newcastle | Newcastle |
| University of New South Wales (UNSW) | Sydney & regional centres |
| University of Sydney | Sydney & regional centres |
| University of Technology Sydney | Sydney |
| University of Wollongong (UOW) | Sydney, Wollongong & regional centres |
| Western Sydney University (WSU) | Sydney |
Macquarie University topped our universities review for New South Wales, with five star ratings for campus amenities and overall satisfaction.
Macquarie University is known for its expertise in business, arts, engineering, health, human sciences, medicine and science. Ranked in the top 200 universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education 2022 results, Macquarie is considered one of the best universities in the country. The university is also ranked at number eight for employment outcomes in Australia according to the 2024 QS University Rankings, which speaks to the high demand for graduates from the uni for jobs.
A number of MBA courses are ranked in the top spots in Australia according to the QS University Rankings, with the Master of Marketing and Master of Finance coming in at number one in Australia and Master of Management coming in at number two in Australia. Their rankings are also internationally recognised with Macquarie ranked at number 130 in the world.
Yes, Macquarie University offers online and flexible learning. With part-time study options and evening study options you can select classes that suit your timetable better, whether it be around work or other life commitments. The university also offers a more tailor made experience with dual degrees and combined degree options to better suit your desired career outcomes.
Interested in finding out how students rated other top universities from around Australia? Click on the links below to read more about the top-rated universities in the country.
There are 11 universities in the state of New South Wales within central city areas and in more rural New South Wales. There are some universities that are predominantly based out of New South Wales as well as a number of other universities that are spread out across the country such as Australian Catholic University, Southern Cross University and many more.
Current and past students surveyed by Canstar Blue were asked to name the key reasons for choosing their university. The main factors identified included the reputation of the university, acceptance of enrolment from the university, and the physical location of the campuses. These are the reasons students and graduates cited for choosing their university:
Canstar Blue has a collection of the best deals on student phone plans in Australia. Find out if you could save more on a new phone plan.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
