Although it’s most famous for its pristine beaches and tropical islands, Queensland is also home to some prestigious universities that are renowned for their academic reputation, cultural diversity, and student experience. Queensland universities are known to focus on practical and applied teaching and so are often top ranked in various listings for post-graduation employment outcomes.
When choosing a university, many prospective students look for a balance between those important employment outcomes and the quality of their university experience. The majority of students surveyed by Canstar Blue (76%) said their university degree was vital for their future career prospects, while 56% said university was the best time of their life from a social perspective. So, it’s clear that where you choose to study matters.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 402 current students and graduates of the past 10 years to identify the universities students rated the best in Queensland. 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 Queensland have been compared in this survey. In our 2023 student satisfaction review, we collected sufficient data for six universities (assessed by domestic and international students) to be included in our ratings. So, which are the highest-rated universities in Queensland for student satisfaction?
Here are the universities in Queensland that were included in Canstar Blue’s 2023 student satisfaction survey, listed below in alphabetical order.
University | Locations |
---|---|
Central Queensland University (CQU) | Brisbane & Australia-wide |
Griffith University | Brisbane & Gold Coast |
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) | Brisbane & Caboolture |
University of Queensland (UQ) | Brisbane, Gatton & regional centres |
University of Southern Queensland (USQ) | Toowoomba, Springfield, Ipswich, Stanthorpe |
University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) | Fraser Coast, Gympie, Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Moreton Bay |
Central Queensland University was rated five stars for quality of education received, opportunities & career prospects after graduation, learning resources, teaching stuff, student support available and overall satisfaction.
Central Queensland University is Australia’s largest regional university (by footprint) with a campus presence in every mainland state. It offers a comprehensive range of courses and degrees for all study levels, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and research higher degree courses, as well as TAFE certificates, diplomas, and short courses. CQU’s sunshine state campus locations include Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, and Townsville.
CQU placed in the top five public universities nationally for student experience in the 2021 Student Experience Survey (SES), conducted by Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT). CQUniversity is also known for its remote and online resources, as it caters to areas and students who live outside of capital cities. Additionally, CQUniversity was also rated as the top Queensland University in Canstar Blue’s 2022 ratings, indicating student satisfaction.
Central Queensland University is a leading distance education provider with more than 200 flexible, mixed-mode study programs spanning dozens of disciplines including allied health, nursing, education, information technology (IT), business, accounting, law and criminology, science, and agriculture. There are also English-language and other study pathways for international students. Students can choose to study online, on-campus or via a combination of both.
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 over 10 major universities in Queensland, with the majority in the capital city Brisbane, along with other major cities and rural areas. These institutions include Australian Catholic University, Bond University, CQ University, Griffith University, James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology, Southern Cross University, University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland and University of Sunshine Coast. Queensland has other tertiary education providers such as Technical and Further Education (TAFE), along with other vocational education and training providers.
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:
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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.