Address: University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
Engineering, Science and Environment, Health, Medicine and Well Being, Human and Social Futures
The University of Newcastle in Australia began in 1951 as the Newcastle University College, an offshoot of the New South Wales University of Technology. It became autonomous on 1 January 1965 under the University of Newcastle Act 1964. The main campus is at University Drive in Callaghan, about 12 kilometres from the Newcastle central business district, and covers 140 hectares.
The university works on several sites. Besides Callaghan, it has campuses at Ourimbah on the Central Coast, at Port Macquarie, in Singapore, which was launched in 2007, and in the Sydney central business district. It also has three premises in the Newcastle city centre. This pattern allows students to choose between a large suburban campus, a regional campus and a city site.
In 2023 the university counted 36,244 students. The load in equivalent full-time student units was 18,099 for undergraduates, 3,394 for postgraduate coursework, 1,042 for postgraduate research and 1,433 for other categories. The staff numbered 3,198, with 1,273 academic and 1,925 administrative employees. In 2019 the university reported more than 7,000 international students from more than 113 countries, out of 37,946 enrolled, which is about 18 percent by calculation.
Since 2022 the teaching is organised in three colleges and thirteen schools, after five faculties and twelve schools. The colleges are Engineering, Science and Environment, Health, Medicine and Well Being, and Human and Social Futures.
The list of notable people includes the economist and journalist Ross Gittins, the former leader of the Australian Democrats Cheryl Kernot and the senator Arthur Sinodinos. Sandra Eades was the first Aboriginal medical practitioner and researcher in Australia to receive a PhD. The judge Kevin Lindgren, the comedian Mikey Robins and the former Indonesian minister Yohana Yembise are also listed. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
For an applicant, the choice between Callaghan, the regional campuses and the city sites should depend on the programme, since each college teaches in specific places. The official pages give the list of courses by campus, the entry conditions and the options for study abroad. Newcastle is a coastal city with beaches, a port and a growing student community.
Domains taught:
Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Campuses at Callaghan, Ourimbah, Port Macquarie, Singapore and Sydney CBD, three colleges and thirteen schools.
Research:
Engineering, science and environment, health and medicine, human and social futures.
Famous Alumnis:
Ross Gittins, Cheryl Kernot, Arthur Sinodinos, Sandra Eades, Kevin Lindgren, Mikey Robins
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3198
Current students***:
36244
Foreign students***:
18%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
140-hectare Callaghan campus, campuses in several locations, more than 7,000 international students in 2019, three colleges.
Cons
Main campus about 12 km from the Newcastle centre, regional campuses, competition for medicine places.
Best For
Students looking for an engineering, science and health university in the Hunter region of New South Wales.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Where this university leans on civil engineering, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, Western Sydney University does the same, and it covers statistics and software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 47,197 students against roughly 36,244 here.
University of Wollongong offers a comparable education in civil engineering, ecology and sustainability and life sciences: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Griffith University works in much the same fields, chiefly finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, and it covers software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 44,427 students against roughly 36,244 here.
James Cook University sits close to this institution on civil engineering, ecology and sustainability and life sciences; it is smaller, enrolling about 21,207 students against roughly 36,244 here, and is also a public institution.
The comparison with University of South Australia is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences outside the home country, Laval University in Canada is a natural reference; it has almost the same size, at about 38,000 students, and is also a public institution.
George Mason University, in the United States, takes a similar route through finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers statistics and software engineering as well.
In South Africa, University of the Witwatersrand teaches much the same core subjects, finance, civil engineering and life sciences, and it has almost the same size, at about 40,259 students, and is also a public institution.
Looking internationally, University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States is where finance, life sciences and data analytics get a comparable treatment; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics as well.
Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand pursues a similar profile in finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers physics and software engineering 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 the University of Newcastle?
At Callaghan, about 12 km from the Newcastle centre, in New South Wales.
When did it become autonomous?
On 1 January 1965.
How large is the Callaghan campus?
140 hectares.
Which other campuses does it have?
Ourimbah, Port Macquarie, Singapore and Sydney CBD.
How many students does it have?
36,244 in 2023.
How many colleges does it have?
Three, with thirteen schools.
How many staff does it have?
3,198 in 2023.
How many international students did it have in 2019?
More than 7,000, from over 113 countries.
Who was the first Aboriginal medical practitioner to receive a PhD among its notable people?
Sandra Eades.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Engineering, Environment, Innovation, Research and Development, Sustainable Development
*: 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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