Some of the country’s highest student satisfaction levels have led to the University of the Sunshine Coast topping Queensland across multiple categories in the Good Universities Guide.

The recently updated guide names UniSC as Queensland’s top public university for teaching quality, overall experience, learning resources, skills development and student support across undergraduate and postgraduate studies, as well as learner engagement for postgraduate studies.

UniSC earned 13 five-star rankings from 21 categories, including for social equity and first-generation, which considers students who are the first in their family to attend university.

UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Helen Bartlett said the guide, published in September, had since been updated with the latest Student Experience Survey data that reflected some of the country’s highest satisfaction levels.

“Clearly the quality of our teaching is a standout, and reflective of our exceptional teaching staff sharing their knowledge across our campuses,” Professor Bartlett said.

“It’s wonderful to see that students are reporting such positive learning experiences, and they are rating us so highly across so many categories, particularly in the areas that support accessibility and opportunity, which are a top priority for us as we build capacity in the regions.”

UniSC also earned a nationwide top-five spot for social equity and top-six spot for first generation, meaning students who are the first in their family to attend university are benefitting from programs to boost and support access to university.

“We know that our new campus at Moreton Bay is raising university participation rates in a region that has not previously had such close access to a university, so it is now much easier for people to become the first in their family to attend university,” Professor Bartlett said.

“These rankings also showcase the success of our support programs for people with disabilities, Indigenous Australians, people from non-English speaking or disadvantaged backgrounds, or from rural and isolated areas. Feedback like this is so important to us so we know what is working well.”

The guide now includes the most recent results from the Student Experience Survey data from 2020/21, with UniSC students reporting some of the country’s highest satisfaction levels – rating it the best public university in Queensland, and in the nation's top two.

“Students across our five campuses reported a ‘quality of educational experience’ eight percent higher than the national average,” Professor Bartlett said.

“Postgraduate students reported a particularly great experience, earning us five-stars across all six categories, which reflects the fact UniSC is rapidly earning a name for itself as a world-class teaching and research institution for students seeking deep knowledge and to make an impact on the world.”

UniSC gained five-star ratings for:

• Social equity
• First-generation
• Learning resources (undergraduate)
• Overall experience (undergraduate)
• Skills development (undergraduate)
• Student support (undergraduate)
• Teaching quality (undergraduate)
• Learner engagement (postgraduate)
• Learning resources (postgraduate)
• Overall experience (postgraduate)
• Skills development (postgraduate)
• Student support (postgraduate)
• Teaching quality (postgraduate)