Introduction and who UNSW is (and isn't) for

G'day, and welcome to the Choosing Your Uni virtual expo. I'm your host, Rob Malicki. Welcome to this session on the University of New South Wales. I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which I'm standing and working, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and I want to acknowledge all other custodians as well.

Before I get started, let me tell you what's coming up in the next 20 minutes. For those of you joining me live, thank you for being here. You can ask your questions in the chat regardless of which platform you're on. If you're watching on the replay, these are the topics we're going to be covering. We're going to talk about what UNSW is known for and who suits studying there. We're going to hear from students who are actually studying there. We're going to find out about its academic strengths. We'll then get into the hard data: student satisfaction, employment, salary, and rankings. And I'll be really straight with you about what those numbers mean for you. At the end, I'll also tell you which universities I'd actually compare UNSW against, to help you build your shortlist.

If you're watching live, drop your questions in the chat and I'll do my best to get to them at the end. If you're on the replay, jump into the Choosing Your Uni Discord, where you'll find the link in the description below. That's where you can have all of your questions, personal or general, answered. For parents, there's a dedicated Facebook group just for you, with the link in the session description below.

Now, UNSW graduates earn the highest starting salaries of any university in the country. And not second. Not top three. They are number one: $87,500 a year on average for graduates. That's a stat worth sitting with. But here's the thing: UNSW probably isn't for you if you want a small, intimate university where your lecturers know your name from day one. There are over 60,000 students on the main campus. It's huge. I love it, it's a great campus, but it is busy. And if that sounds overwhelming, this might not be your place.

It's also probably not for you if you want a slow, relaxed pace. UNSW has an intense academic culture. People work hard there. And if you're looking for somewhere a bit more cruisy where you can ease into uni life, then you might want to look somewhere else. And honestly, if Sydney's cost of living scares you, and it scares me every single day, then it should at least make you pause and consider that as a real factor. Sydney is one of Australia's most expensive cities, and living near the campus isn't cheap. But if you're someone who wants to be pushed, who wants strong career outcomes from day one, and who thrives when there's energy and ambition around you, then keep watching.

What current students say about UNSW

Before I tell you what I think, let's hear from someone who's actually studied there.

Rob: What do you think makes UNSW special and unique?

Guest: For me, it's about all the different opportunities that you have here. I think the most special aspect is the sense of community that you can find at UNSW. When you're going to university with 70,000 different students, you're bound to find people who have the same interests and the same goals as you. And I think that's really, really valuable, where I can find my own niche of people who are driven in the same way that I am.

Rob: If you've got questions about the University of New South Wales or about uni in general, make sure you drop them in the chat and I will do my best to get to them.

Three things that define UNSW: engineering, employability, and location

Now let me give you the full picture. Here are three things that I think define UNSW.

The first is engineering and applied sciences at an elite level. This is where UNSW started back in 1949, and it's still where the university shines brightest. The mineral and mining engineering programme is ranked second in the entire world, not second in Australia: first in Australia, second in the entire world. Law is 12th in the world and first in Australia. Accounting and finance, architecture, and civil engineering are all in the global top 25. Across the board, 24 of its subjects sit in the global top 50. So if you're drawn to engineering, law, or business, UNSW is genuinely one of the strongest options in the country.

Second, this is an employer-focused university. UNSW has been recognised for producing Australia's most employable graduates for six straight years by the Australian Financial Review, and that's not by accident. It's baked into how the university operates. They embed what's called work-integrated learning across their degrees, meaning internships, industry projects, and placements are built into your course, not tacked on as an afterthought. They also run the Founders Program, a startup incubator that has been ranked number one in Australia for many years and is considered one of the best entrepreneurship programmes in the world. It supports around 400 startups and projects, and makes over $200,000 in funding available to students who get accepted. If you've got an entrepreneurial streak, that is a serious resource.

The third thing about UNSW is the Kensington campus, which is about seven kilometres from the centre of Sydney, tucked between the city and the eastern beaches. You're in one of the biggest, most connected cities in the country. That means access to employers, to industry, to internships, to culture, to life. It's all right there for you. The light rail runs right outside UNSW down to the city centre. For international networking and career opportunities, being in Sydney is a genuine structural advantage.

The trimester system: what changed and why it matters

I should flag one big recent change. UNSW introduced a trimester system back in 2019: three short, ten-week teaching terms instead of the traditional two semesters. It was really controversial. Students reported significant workload and stress issues. To their credit, in 2025, the university announced it's phasing trimesters out and moving back to what they call a flexible semester system by 2026. That means two 12-week semesters with mid-semester breaks that actually line up with school holidays, plus optional summer and winter intensive terms if you want them.

I think that's a good move, and it shows a university that's listening. It should make a real difference to the student experience going forward. Universities should be trying new things, and also admitting when something isn't working and moving back to a system that does.

UNSW's faculties, research strengths, and academic profile

UNSW has seven faculties: Arts, Design and Architecture; Business; Engineering; Law and Justice; Medicine and Health; Science; and UNSW Canberra, which is currently located at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). That campus is also developing a footprint in the centre of Canberra, making it the only university campus in the country dedicated to educating our defence force personnel.

Engineering is the crown jewel. All eight of UNSW's engineering schools rank in the global top 50, and two sit in the global top ten for their specific disciplines. The Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, led by Professor Martin Green, holds multiple world records for solar cell efficiency. If you've heard about breakthroughs in solar energy over the past few decades, they almost certainly came out of UNSW. The university has also invested over $450 million in research facilities, high-performance computing, and specialist equipment.

In health and medicine, the Kirby Institute has been a global leader in HIV, AIDS, and infectious disease research since the 1980s. The Black Dog Institute, which focuses on mental health research and clinical services, is also based at UNSW. These aren't research centres that just publish academic papers. They directly shape health policy and treatment in Australia and beyond.

Law and Justice, as I mentioned, ranks 12th globally and first in Australia. The Business School, anchored by the Australian Graduate School of Management, has strong industry ties and a reputation that carries real weight with employers.

One thing that makes UNSW quite distinct from some other research-intensive universities is how strongly it pushes practical application. This isn't a place where research stays in a lab. The Founders Program channels research into real businesses, and the university is investing real money into commercialising those learnings and successes. Work-integrated learning puts students into real workplaces, and the university's culture leans heavily towards "what can we do with this knowledge?" rather than just developing knowledge for its own sake.

Pathways into UNSW, including Indigenous admissions and scholarships

UNSW also runs an Indigenous admissions scheme through Nura Gili, the Centre for Indigenous Programs. The name comes from the Eora Nation language and means "place of fire and light." The scheme offers interview-based entry that doesn't depend on your ATAR, which is your Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank, the main score used for school leaver university entry, running from 0 to 99.95. They also run a three-week intensive preparatory programme that provides another pathway in, and that really matters, because access to a university this highly ranked shouldn't just depend on a single number.

For those of you thinking about how to pay for all of this, domestic students at UNSW access Commonwealth Supported Places, which means the Australian Government subsidises most of your tuition. You repay your share through HECS-HELP, the government loan scheme. You don't pay anything upfront; instead, your costs are repaid automatically through the tax system once you're earning above a certain threshold. UNSW also awards over $83 million in scholarships every year, including the Community Plus scholarship, offering up to $25,000 per year for accommodation, aimed at students from lower-income backgrounds.

Campus life and the social scene at UNSW

With over 330 clubs and societies on campus, a 50-metre heated swimming pool, and the Roundhouse, which has been the social heart of campus since 1961 (I've been to the odd concert there myself, I'll be honest), this is a big, busy, commuter-heavy campus. But the social scene really does exist. You might need to seek it out actively. It won't just come and wrap itself around you the way it might at a smaller residential university, but it's absolutely there and it really is quite awesome.

There's only so much I can tell you from the outside, so here's another perspective from someone who's experienced UNSW firsthand.

Rob: What was it that drew you to UNSW?

Guest: I came to the open day and I just fell in love with it straight away. I loved the vibe, I loved the societies. UNSW also does a lot of double degrees, and I couldn't decide between science or arts, and UNSW offers both. So I thought, might as well go here. It's the perfect degree that suits my needs.

Rob: That kind of first-hand insight is always worth more than anything I can say from behind a desk.

Student satisfaction, graduate employment, and salary data

Now here's where it gets interesting. I'm about to show you the numbers, the actual performance data, and this is where things get surprising. UNSW's graduate employment and salary figures are really strong, as you'd expect, but the student satisfaction score tells a different story.

These figures come from the QILT: the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching, which is the national student survey system. Every Australian university gets measured the same way. I also use the QS and Times Higher Education global rankings, which measure research and reputation on a global stage.

Student satisfaction sits at 71.7%, and that's low by national standards. It ties with the University of Sydney for being among the lowest in the Group of Eight, which is the coalition of Australia's eight leading research-intensive universities. For a university ranked this high globally, that number really stands out to me, and not necessarily in a good way. Part of it is almost certainly the trimester system causing stress and workload issues. The move back to semesters should help, but it's worth watching.

Teaching quality sits in a similar zone. UNSW is a research powerhouse, and at very large research universities, the undergraduate teaching experience can sometimes take a backseat. I don't mean that in a negative way. It's not unique to UNSW; it's a pattern across big research institutions globally. If your teacher is also completing their own doctorate at the same time, chances are they haven't got a great deal of experience as a frontline teacher.

Graduate employment is at 81.3%, and that's solid. It matches the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland, and it's above the University of Melbourne at 67.7% and the University of Western Australia at 69.7%. So while the student experience scores are modest, the outcomes on your way out the door are actually pretty strong.

The median graduate salary is $75,000. That comes from the QILT data and is among the highest in Australia. The university's own data cites even higher figures for established graduates, but this is the QILT number and it applies as an apples-to-apples comparison. Strong employers in Sydney, strong industry links, strong global outcomes: that's pretty much what you can expect from UNSW.

Global rankings and what they actually mean for you

On the global rankings, UNSW ranks 20th in the world on the QS World Rankings and is ranked second in Australia. In Times Higher Education, it's 79th globally and fifth in Australia. That QS number is quite remarkable: UNSW has been in the top 20 universities for three consecutive years. The Times Higher Education ranking is lower, but that reflects a different methodology. Times Higher Education weights research citations differently.

The reality is that neither number is telling the whole truth, and neither is necessarily telling you what's relevant and important for you personally. Rankings measure what they measure. But a consistent top-20 QS position does tell you that something real is going on at UNSW. It tells you something real about the university's international reputation and its research output.

So what's the story these numbers tell us? UNSW is a place where the outcome, your career, your salary, your professional network, is exceptional. But the experience while you're there: that's where the university still has some room to grow. You can have an amazing experience on campus, but it's worth going in with your eyes open.

How UNSW compares to the University of Sydney, Monash, and UTS

If I were evaluating UNSW, I wouldn't do so in isolation. The first comparison is, of course, the University of Sydney. This is most likely one you're already thinking about. They're literally across the city from each other. They're both Group of Eight. They're both ranked globally in the top 25, and they're both in Sydney. Sydney Uni has a more traditional campus feel: sandstone, heritage, that classic university atmosphere. UNSW is more modern, more applied, and more industry-forward. Student satisfaction is basically identical at the two, at around 72%, and graduate employment is virtually the same. Sydney Uni's median salary is $70,000 versus UNSW's $75,000. The real difference comes down to culture and academic focus. If you're drawn to engineering, business, or applied tech, I think UNSW has the edge. If you lean towards the arts, humanities, or medical research in a more traditional setting, Sydney Uni might suit you better.

Second, let's talk about Monash University in Melbourne. If what draws you to UNSW is the combination of research intensity, scale, and employer reputation, Monash is the closest match outside Sydney. It's also a Group of Eight university operating at a massive scale, over 80,000 students, with a similar emphasis on industry connection and graduate outcomes. Monash's median salary is $73,000, its graduate employment rate is 82%, and it ranks 36th on QS. So if you're open to Melbourne, Monash is genuinely a great alternative to UNSW in a way that most other Group of Eight institutions aren't.

Third, and this one might surprise you: UTS, the University of Technology Sydney. It's right there in the city, ranked 96th on QS, so inside the global top 100, and it shares UNSW's industry-focused DNA. UTS doesn't have the Group of Eight badge, but its graduate employment outcomes are competitive and its teaching satisfaction scores tend to run higher than UNSW's. So if what you actually care about is a career-focused, practical education in Sydney, I think UTS deserves a serious look. It's a different scale and a different prestige tier, but the real-world outcomes are closer than you might think.

Answering your questions: should you reconsider UNSW now that trimesters are going?

Before we wrap up, I want to get to a question that came in from a registered participant ahead of this session. Steve says: UNSW's trimester system put me off applying. Now that they're going back to semesters, should I reconsider?

Honestly, I think the short answer is yes. The trimester system was a genuine problem for some students. I wouldn't say for all students, but staff and students both said it was a challenge, and the university's own review confirmed that. The university has now listened, reversed course, and is doing something positive about it. The system is moving back to two 12-week semesters with proper mid-semester breaks and optional summer and winter intensives. That's a much more manageable structure. If trimesters were your only concern, I would absolutely take another look at UNSW.

Wrapping up and next steps

That concludes our session on the University of New South Wales. Remember, the virtual expo is on all week. Every session is available not only live but also on demand, and you'll find the full schedule in the expo hub with the details down below.

If you haven't yet, watch the Getting Started with Choosing Your Uni session, especially if you're not sure what you might want to study. It covers the whole process of choosing a university from scratch. We've also got a great session from the Australian Government on funding and support for domestic students, which I think you'll find one of the most practical sessions of the entire expo, so don't skip it.

If you haven't already, check out the Choosing Your Uni YouTube channel. We've done independent reviews on every single university in Australia. The Choosing Your Uni platform is also free and is designed to help guide you to the fields of study and the universities that align with your interests, goals, and preferences. It takes only a minute to sign up, and you'll find the link in the description below. That's it for this session. I'll see you next time. I'm Rob Malicki. Thank you.