Welcome and session overview

G'day, and welcome to the Choosing Your Uni National Virtual Expo. I'm your host, Rob Malicki, and this session is on CQ University. I can't wait to get into it because this institution has some really interesting strengths.

Before I get started, I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which I live and work, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

For those of you joining me on the live stream, you can participate by dropping your questions and comments into the chat, whether you're on the session hub, on the uni web page, or on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook. Go ahead and I'll try to get to those by the end of the session. If you're watching on replay, you can add your questions on the Choosing Your Uni Discord. Details are in the session description below. You can ask anything from really specific personal questions to very broad questions about going to university, and we'll absolutely answer every single one. If you're a parent, you might not be on Discord, but if you're not, we've got a Facebook community just for you.

So what are we going to cover in this session? We're going to talk about what CQ University is known for and who would be really well suited to studying there. We're going to hear from a student about their experience at CQ. We're also going to look at its academic and research strengths. I'm going to give you some hard data, including rankings and ratings, how it performs on a global scale and in the Australian national dataset, covering things like student satisfaction and employment. I'm going to get behind the hype and the marketing speak and tell you what it all means, and whether some of those rankings even matter to you. And finally, I'll give you some points of comparison, looking at which other institutions might belong on your shortlist alongside CQ University.

Now, before we get started, this whole event has been made possible by Southern Cross University, our major presenting partner. A quick word from them, and then we'll get straight into CQ University.

What kind of university is CQ University?

Here's a statistic that might surprise you. CQ University is ranked 25th in the world on the Times Higher Education Social Impact rankings. That's 25th on the planet, which literally puts it ahead of hundreds of universities you've definitely heard of: Harvard, Oxford, and all those massive institutions. CQ University outranks them on that measure.

This is possibly not the university for you if what you're looking for is a big traditional sandstone campus with portraits on the walls and 50,000 students walking around. It's just not that kind of place. So if your main goal is prestige and a massive brand, CQ probably isn't going to be on your radar. But if you want a university that actually reaches into the real world, into regional hospitals, mining operations, farms, and trade workshops, and builds your degree around that, if you want flexibility that doesn't fit a standard mould, then this session is worth sticking around for.

A student's experience at CQ University

Before we go further, here's an audio clip from the Choosing Your Uni podcast, from a student who has studied at CQ University.

"Tell me what else is unique about CQ?"

"I would definitely say our support services. We have a range of support services that students can access regardless of where they are. From my experience, I've definitely used the Academic Learning Centre, which is a great resource to help with assignments, writing, referencing, all that fun stuff. We also have a fantastic careers team that have helped me look for jobs and really narrow down my search. But that's definitely what makes us unique: our broad range of support services."

CQ University's dual-sector model and national campus network

Let me tell you about what CQ University is genuinely known for. First and foremost, it's the only dual-sector university in Queensland. What that means is that it runs both vocational education programmes along with university programmes, all under one roof. TAFE traditionally gives you hands-on qualifications like certificates and diplomas. At CQ University you can start with a TAFE qualification and then pathway directly into a full undergraduate bachelor's degree without changing institutions. That's not something many universities can offer. It's a model that's a lot more common in Victoria, but outside of that, almost nobody offers it. What I love about it is that the gap between practical training and university-level study simply doesn't exist at CQ. So if you want to start with a trades ticket and eventually end up with a degree in engineering, CQ University is the institution built for exactly that pathway.

Secondly, the spread of this institution is truly national in a way that no other Australian university is. That's kind of interesting, isn't it, because most people won't have heard of CQ University, and yet it has one of the best, perhaps the best, geographic spreads of any institution. It has campuses or study centres in every mainland state of Australia. Rockhampton is of course the home base, and it's a campus I really love. You'll also find study centres in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns, Mackay, Bundaberg, Gladstone, and Emerald. That last one is unusual, because most universities, especially regional ones, typically serve one region or one major area. CQ University serves the whole country.

A significant proportion of their students also study online, which means CQ has gotten really good at online education. This isn't a university that just had to bolt on online learning during COVID. It's been how the institution has operated for a very long time. That makes it comparable to an institution like the University of New England, which was one of Australia's first distance education providers, literally posting course notes out in the mail. So if you're looking at online education, CQ University, the University of New England, and Charles Sturt University are some of the options that might suit you.

Industry partnerships, work-integrated learning, and cost of living

Thirdly, the industry linkages are significant and specific. CQ University has direct partnerships with organisations like Queensland Health, BHP, and Rio Tinto. Every professional degree includes structured work-integrated learning, which means real placement work, real-world experience, and real connections before you graduate. So if you're going into health, engineering, or education, you're not just studying theory. You'll literally be getting hands-on work, and that's incredibly valuable and valued by employers.

Another serious advantage is the cost of living in places like Rockhampton. If you're someone who'd benefit from studying at a uni where it doesn't feel like it's going to eat your entire budget, regional universities absolutely offer a genuine financial advantage. You're looking at roughly $180 to $350 a week for shared accommodation in Rockhampton, which is dramatically lower than places like Sydney or Melbourne.

All Australian domestic students who are Commonwealth supported, like at all public Australian universities, access and pay their fees through what's called HECS-HELP. It's a government loan scheme where you pay back your fees as part of your taxes, and the government covers around 50% of your overall cost of tuition. It's essentially subsidised education. If you want to understand how that all works, we have a whole dedicated session on it. Details are in the session description below. And if money is a concern for you, the Money School Leaders Money Essentials session is one you absolutely should go back and rewatch.

Teaching strengths: health, engineering, education, and research

Let's talk about teaching and where CQ University is genuinely strong. The university runs more than 250 qualifications, everything from TAFE certificates right through to research doctorate degrees. That broad range is the dual-sector advantage. But not everything is equal. Some areas clearly punch above their weight.

Like many strong regional universities, CQ really punches above its weight in health disciplines: nursing, occupational therapy, and public health are some of the areas where the university concentrates its resources and where it performs particularly strongly. The institution runs health clinics and simulation labs, giving students real clinical experience before they graduate. The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences and the School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences are both strong enrolment clusters, and graduate employment out of those fields tracks well above the university average.

Engineering and technology is the other standout. One of the things that grabbed my attention when I visited CQ University a couple of years ago is its Centre for Railway Engineering. Railway engineering is nationally significant, and if you're interested in automation, renewable energy, or infrastructure engineering, this is a research base with genuine industry relevance. The university has also just launched a renewable energy microgrid on the Rockhampton campus: solar and battery systems that double as teaching and research tools. That's a fantastic learning opportunity for students.

Education is also a major strength. CQ has deep roots in teacher education and training for its regional communities. In terms of the national research quality evaluation, the ERA (Excellence in Research for Australia) assessment rates research at or above world standard in nursing, education, agriculture, and engineering. As a regional university, that's a really strong portfolio.

The Appleton Institute, based at the Adelaide campus, does internationally significant research on sleep science and human factors. That might sound like a niche area, but it has direct applications in transport safety, shift work, and health. This is practical research that's really helping real people. The Institute for Future Farming Systems, based across Bundaberg and Rockhampton, works on climate resilience and agricultural sustainability. These things are critical for the future of food security, and this is research tied directly to the industries that matter for regional Australia.

Graduate outcomes and what the numbers actually mean

One thing that doesn't always show up in rankings but absolutely matters to students is graduate employer satisfaction, which sits at 86% for CQ University. This is one of those areas that speaks louder than most people think. It means that employers who hire CQ graduates are really happy with what they're getting. When you finish your degree at CQ, employers value the skills you have. That tells me the education quality is good and that outcomes for students are strong. In fields like health and engineering where employers are desperate for qualified workers, CQ's placement model also gives graduates a genuine head start.

Now let's get into the numbers, and there are a couple in here that might catch you off guard. CQ University's graduate employment rate is one of the strongest in the entire country. These figures come from the Australian Government's national dataset called QILT, the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching. It's an independent dataset drawing on responses from hundreds of thousands of students and employers.

First, student satisfaction. At just under 80%, CQ University is above the national average and in the upper half compared to surrounding universities. For a university with a really diverse student body, lots of mature-aged students, and lots of regional students studying online, that is an extraordinary result. Students at CQ feel supported, and they tend to rate their experience well.

Teaching quality is part of what drives that. The flexible delivery model means students can study online or come on campus, mix the two, or study in block mode from time to time. This flexibility has been built into the university's systems rather than bolted on as an afterthought, and that shows up in the statistics.

Graduate employment, as I mentioned, sits at 86%. To put that in context, the national average is 79%. CQ University's graduate employment rate is higher than any single one of the Group of Eight universities. That's the coalition of Australia's eight most prestigious, research-intensive institutions: Melbourne, Sydney, and so on. Why? Because CQ's strongest disciplines, health, education, and engineering, are all fields with chronic workforce shortages, particularly in regional areas. Employers are essentially waiting for graduates.

When we look at graduate starting salaries, that regional demand flows through as well. $83,000 is the median salary for a CQ graduate, and it's well above the national average. Regional health workers, engineers, and educators command strong starting salaries because the demand is high.

On the global rankings, CQ University sits at around 500 in the QS world rankings and in the 400 to 500 band in the Times Higher Education rankings. That places it roughly 26th to 28th nationally. Now, you might look at that and think it's not a great result, but here's what you need to understand: those rankings measure things like academic research output and how widely that research is cited by others. They also heavily favour old, prestigious institutions because of an international reputation component. Naturally, the University of Melbourne has a much bigger international reputation than CQ University, except perhaps to the industries it directly serves. So those institutions tend to rank much more heavily. These rankings don't really tell you much about whether your lecturers are good or whether you'll get a job when you graduate. CQ University's genuine strengths show up in outcomes data, student satisfaction data, and graduate employment data, not in these prestige rankings. It really depends on what you're looking for.

A student's moment of breakthrough at university

I want to share a really fun fact here, just to take a little break. Here's a clip from a student who surprised even themselves:

"I got my first grade at uni, and I just laughed out loud. It wasn't just a pass. I actually got a high distinction. I'd always done terribly at school. I did the PSP course, which gave me the foundations of what you need to be able to study at uni. And I didn't fail. I got good grades. So I was like, hey, keep going. I studied the Bachelor of Psychology, did alright, kept going, got into honours, and now I'm writing a thesis. Getting that first good grade was the first time I felt like I can actually do this. I'm really grateful for it."

Scholarships available at CQ University

Let's talk about scholarships. There are 150 scholarships available annually, including equity and needs-based scholarships delivered as part of the CQ University CARES programme. There are also merit-based options and scholarships for international students. The VET Pathway Awards specifically support students transitioning from TAFE into university study, which given the dual-sector model, makes a lot of sense.

Comparing CQ University to similar institutions

Let's think about which universities you could compare CQ University against. The first and most obvious geographical comparison is James Cook University. Both are north and central Queensland institutions. James Cook is based in Townsville and Cairns, a bit further up the coast, and serves the communities in those regions. Both universities are particularly strong in health, and both produce graduates who go straight into the regional workforce. James Cook has a particular edge when it comes to tropical and marine sciences, that's for sure. However, CQ University has the edge on the dual-sector model, the ability to start in TAFE and pathway through into a degree, as well as the broader national network. The questions to ask yourself are: what do you want to study, and what pathway are you looking at? You can also watch the James Cook University session as part of this expo to get all the information you need to make that comparison properly.

The next comparison is Charles Sturt University in New South Wales. It's also a regional institution with a large footprint across New South Wales and absolutely outstanding graduate employment outcomes, 91%, which makes it the highest in the country. Like CQ, it's for students who really want a real-world, career-ready degree in fields like health, education, and agriculture. Both universities are deeply embedded in their regional communities. But if you're drawn to the CQ model and you're based in New South Wales, Charles Sturt might be an option that's a little bit closer and offers a similar experience.

Two others that fit that same mould are the University of Southern Queensland and the University of New England. Both have strong online options and really serve their regional areas well.

One that I'd throw in as a completely out-of-the-box option, if you're interested in similar fields of study but want a completely different experience, is the University of Tasmania. They position themselves as the university for the whole island. CQ is warm, hot, and humid, with a regional town feel and a mining and agricultural focus. Tasmania is cool climate, small capital city, a little more white-collar, with that cafe and arts-house culture. Very different in many ways, but worth considering if you're after a change of scenery and a fresh experience. Lots of people move there from all around Australia and the world to study.

Listener questions: campus transfers and online study

Let's get to a couple of questions that have come in. This one is from Declan: "CQ University has campuses all over the place. If I start at one campus, is it possible to transfer to another without any hassles?"

Honestly, this is one of CQ's genuine strengths. They are totally set up for flexibility across their network of campuses, including online study. In most cases you can transfer between campuses or switch between on-campus and online mode pretty easily. Some degrees do have specific requirements, so it's worth checking with the specific department, but as an institution CQ is absolutely configured for that kind of flexibility.

The next question is: "Is online uni study actually as good as being on campus?"

Great question. It really depends on you and the course. Online study gives you flexibility, but you miss out on the social connection, the spontaneous conversations, and the hands-on work is more detached when you're not physically on campus. That said, many online degrees have a practical or block component where you need to come in and complete your practicals on campus. That's actually a great opportunity to engage with your cohort. Students who study online and then come together for a block study period often say the chance to meet and connect with their peers is incredibly valuable. Online study can be really effective if you're disciplined and self-motivated, but personally, for most school leavers, I would absolutely recommend starting on campus if you can.

Wrapping up: final thoughts on CQ University

Those questions that have come in during the session, I'll make sure I answer them in the Choosing Your Uni Discord, and also in the parent Facebook community. Details are down below.

It's been really great chatting about CQ University. I genuinely love this institution. I think they have one of the best university leaderships in the country. Whoever is leading that institution is passionate about equity and access, passionate about regional universities and communities, and has really led that institution in an incredible direction. That definitely counts for something.

That's all I've got time for. Hopefully I'll see you across the other sessions throughout this week. Thank you for joining me. I'm Rob Malicki. We'll see you next time.