South Australia may be best known for its rolling hills, food and wine, but it’s also home to some globally recognised universities. Adelaide in particular, as the state’s business centre and home to many government and financial institutions, is a popular study destination for students seeking good career outcomes.
The majority of students surveyed nationally 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, making the right choice from the start is important.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 191 current students and graduates of the past 10 years to identify the universities students rated the best in South Australia. 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 South Australia have been compared in this survey. In our 2023 student satisfaction review, we collected sufficient data for three universities (assessed by domestic and international students) to be included in our ratings. So, which are the highest-rated universities in South Australia for student satisfaction?
Here are the universities in South Australia that were included in Canstar Blue’s 2023 student satisfaction survey, listed below in alphabetical order.
| University | Locations |
|---|---|
| Flinders University | Adelaide, regionals centres & Northern Territory |
| University of Adelaide | Adelaide, Roseworthy, Waite & regional centres |
| University of South Australia (UniSA) | Adelaide, Mount Gambier & regional centres |
The University of Adelaide was rated five stars for teaching staff, quality of education received, learning resources and overall satisfaction.
One of the largest universities in the state, the University of Adelaide offers a wide variety of undergraduate degrees, along with postgraduate studies and research, in addition to a number of short courses and PACE (Professional and Continuing Education) offerings. The University of Adelaide was ranked in the top 100 of the 2024 QS World University Rankings, with a number of subjects rated in the top 100, and is also a member of the Group of Eight (Go8), which comprises of Australia’s leading research-intensive universities.
The University of Adelaide does offer online learning, but only for select fields and courses. Areas of study include psychology, data science, cybersecurity and business administration, meaning it may not have the range as some universities, although if you’re interested in learning online, you can always contact the university to see if there’s any hybrid offerings for the coursework. As an offset, the University of Adelaide also offers online short courses and micro-credentials, as well as offers Massive Open Online Course (MOOCS) which allow you to learn at your own pace, and for free.
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 three major universities in South Australia, all of which have campuses in Adelaide, with some also have regional centres. These institutions include Flinders University, University of South Australia and University of Adelaide. South Australia has other tertiary education providers such as Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and 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.
