Address: North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
Health and Medical Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, Wine Science, Arts, Business, Law
The University of Adelaide has its roots in Union College, founded in 1872 to train Protestant ministers. It was formally established on 6 November 1874 under the Adelaide University Act 1874, and the first classes began in March 1876. It is the third-oldest university in Australia, after Sydney and Melbourne. An 1881 royal charter from Queen Victoria allowed it to confer degrees on women, which made it the second university in the English-speaking world to do so. Early benefactors included Walter Watson Hughes and Thomas Elder, who each gave 20,000 pounds.
In July 2023 the university agreed to merge with the University of South Australia. The merged institution, Adelaide University, started on 5 January 2026, and the two earlier institutions were disestablished after 31 March 2026. The figures given here describe the University of Adelaide before the merger.
The main campus is on North Terrace in the centre of Adelaide. The Waite campus at Urrbrae teaches agricultural science, viticulture and oenology, the Roseworthy campus, north of the city, teaches agricultural and veterinary sciences, and the university has a study centre in Melbourne.
In 2023 it enrolled 30,279 students: 19,493 in bachelor’s programmes, 7,962 in coursework postgraduate programmes, 2,362 in research postgraduate programmes and 772 in other programmes. It employed 3,678 staff, of whom 1,700 were academic. Three faculties organised teaching: Health and Medical Sciences, Sciences, Engineering and Technology, and Arts, Business, Law and Economics. It belonged to the Group of Eight and to the Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
Five Nobel laureates are associated with the university, about one third of Australia’s total, among them William Henry Bragg and Lawrence Bragg, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915. Alumni include Julia Gillard, the first woman to serve as prime minister of Australia, the astronaut Andy Thomas and Mark Oliphant. The university counts 117 Rhodes Scholars. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Engineering, Food Science, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Group of Eight and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities; merged with the University of South Australia to form Adelaide University in January 2026.
Research:
Health and medical sciences, engineering and technology, agricultural science, viticulture and oenology, arts, business, law and economics.
Famous Alumnis:
Julia Gillard, Andy Thomas, Mark Oliphant, William Henry Bragg, Lawrence Bragg
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3678
Current students***:
30279
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Third-oldest university in Australia, historic North Terrace campus, strong agricultural and wine science, five Nobel laureates linked to it.
Cons
Merger changes the institutional structure, smaller than Sydney or Melbourne, high fees for international students.
Best For
Students interested in a historic Australian research university with strong health, engineering, agriculture and wine science.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Where this institution leans on agriculture, chemistry and physics, University of Melbourne does the same, and it also offers graduate diploma programmes and covers microbiology and genetics and AI and machine learning as well.
Both schools build their programmes around agriculture, chemistry and physics, and University of Western Australia is the one to compare first within the country, since it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral, graduate certificate and mba.
Macquarie University offers a comparable education in chemistry, physics and mathematics: it is slightly larger, at about 44,015 students against roughly 30,279 here, and is also a public institution.
University of New South Wales works in much the same fields, chiefly chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral, graduate certificate and mba programmes.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of agriculture, chemistry and physics can consider University of Sydney, and it also offers graduate diploma programmes and covers finance and marine science as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Seen from abroad, Stellenbosch University (South Africa) is a close relative on subject matter, since agriculture, food science and mathematics are central to both, and it does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here and covers military and finance as well.
University of Porto in Portugal shares the food science, chemistry and physics orientation of this university, and it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here.
In South Korea, Seoul National University teaches much the same core subjects, agriculture, chemistry and physics, and it has almost the same size, at about 28,300 students, and is also a public institution.
Students considering a move abroad can look at National Taiwan University in Taiwan, where agriculture, chemistry and physics also form the core, and it is slightly larger, at about 34,483 students against roughly 30,279 here, and is also a public institution.
On content, University of Auckland in New Zealand and this university are close, as both teach chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is slightly larger, at about 39,183 students against roughly 30,279 here, and is also a public institution.
*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 Adelaide?
On North Terrace in the centre of Adelaide, South Australia.
When was it established?
On 6 November 1874, under the Adelaide University Act 1874.
Is it the third-oldest university in Australia?
Yes, after Sydney and Melbourne.
What happened in 2026?
It merged with the University of South Australia to form Adelaide University on 5 January 2026.
How many students did it have in 2023?
30,279, including 19,493 in bachelor's programmes.
Which campuses did it have?
North Terrace, Waite at Urrbrae and Roseworthy, plus a study centre in Melbourne.
What does the Waite campus teach?
Agricultural science, viticulture and oenology.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Five, among them William Henry Bragg and Lawrence Bragg, who shared the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Who was the first woman prime minister of Australia?
Julia Gillard, an alumna of the university.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and 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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