Address: Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
Business Government and Law, Education Psychology and Social Work, Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, Medicine and Public Health, Nursing and Health Sciences, Science and Engineering
Flinders University was founded in 1966. Teaching began that year with 400 students, and Peter Karmel was the first vice-chancellor. The main campus is at Sturt Road in Bedford Park, about 12 kilometres south of the centre of Adelaide, and covers 156 acres, or 63 hectares. Bedford Park is the home of most faculties and of the main library.
The university works on several sites. Besides Bedford Park, it has campuses at Tonsley, in the Adelaide city centre, at Renmark, in Alice Springs and in Darwin. It also runs external teaching in regional South Australia, south-west Victoria and the Northern Territory. This spread reflects a commitment to regional health and education, and it shows in the programmes for remote and rural practice.
In 2023 the university enrolled 25,921 students, against 25,247 in 2022. International students made up 19.5 percent of the on-campus student population in 2020. The staff counted 2,189 full-time equivalents in 2023, of whom 957 were academic and 1,232 administrative.
Teaching is organised in six colleges: Business, Government and Law; Education, Psychology and Social Work; Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; Medicine and Public Health; Nursing and Health Sciences; and Science and Engineering. Medicine, nursing and health sciences form the best known part of the profile, but the Tonsley campus has given engineering and technology a place of their own.
The list of alumni is varied. Richard Harris was Australian of the Year. Terry Tao, a Fields medallist, studied at Flinders. The film director Scott Hicks is an alumnus, and several Rhodes Scholars come from the university. The Drama Centre produced founding members of groups such as Circus Oz, the Angels, Redgum and Brink Productions. Applicants should check the official pages for the entry conditions of each college. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
The Tonsley campus deserves a mention, since it brings teaching, research and industry together in one innovation district south of Adelaide. Applicants should read the official pages on entry conditions, scholarships and the clinical placements of the health courses. Adelaide offers a calmer and cheaper setting than Sydney or Melbourne.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Robotics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Campuses at Bedford Park, Tonsley, Adelaide CBD, Renmark, Alice Springs and Darwin.
Research:
Medicine and public health, nursing and health sciences, science and engineering, social sciences and the arts.
Famous Alumnis:
Richard Harris, Terry Tao, Scott Hicks
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2189
Current students***:
25921
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Campus on 63 hectares, Tonsley innovation district campus, six colleges, 19.5 percent international students on campus.
Cons
Main campus about 12 km from the Adelaide centre, competitive health courses, regional sites are small.
Best For
Students who want health, science and engineering training in Adelaide, with strong research links.
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Linkedin Alumni Page
Most Similar Schools Locally
Griffith University overlaps with this university on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Where this university leans on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, La Trobe University does the same, and it covers agriculture and mathematics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 36,128 students against roughly 25,921 here.
Western Sydney University works in much the same fields, chiefly ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
For students who like the robotics, life sciences and data analytics focus of this institution but want another option nearby, Queensland University of Technology fits well: it is larger, enrolling about 52,073 students against roughly 25,921 here, and is also a public institution.
On content, University of South Australia and this university are close, as both teach life sciences, data analytics and software engineering; it covers finance and industrial design as well, and is slightly larger, at about 34,878 students against roughly 25,921 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
In Spain, Autonomous University of Barcelona teaches much the same core subjects, ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers microbiology and genetics and computer vision as well.
Beyond national borders, Victoria University of Wellington stands out as a comparable school for ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics; it is slightly smaller, at about 20,939 students against roughly 25,921 here, and is also a public institution.
Indiana University Indianapolis, in the United States, takes a similar route through life sciences, data analytics and software engineering; it also offers mba programmes and covers finance and bioinformatics as well.
Looking internationally, King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia is where life sciences, data analytics and software engineering get a comparable treatment; it is larger, enrolling about 61,708 students against roughly 25,921 here, and is also a public institution.
Students considering a move abroad can look at University of the Basque Country in Spain, where life sciences, software engineering and engineering also form the core, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers fluid dynamics and chemistry as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Flinders University?
At Sturt Road, Bedford Park, about 12 km south of the Adelaide centre.
When was it founded?
In 1966, with 400 students in the first year.
Who was the first vice-chancellor?
Peter Karmel.
How large is the main campus?
156 acres, or 63 hectares.
Which other campuses does it have?
Tonsley, Adelaide CBD, Renmark, Alice Springs and Darwin.
How many students does it have?
25,921 in 2023.
How many colleges does it have?
Six.
What share of the students are international?
19.5 percent of the on-campus population in 2020.
Which Fields medallist studied there?
Terry Tao.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development, Robotics
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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