Address: North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
Business, Creative, Education, Engineering, Health, Information Technology, Law, Natural and Built Environments
The University of South Australia was founded in 1991 through a merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and three campuses of the South Australian College of Advanced Education. Its antecedents include the South Australian School of Art, from 1856, and the South Australian School of Mines and Industries, from 1889, which later became the South Australian Institute of Technology. The address was North Terrace, Adelaide.
An important clarification applies. A merger agreement with the University of Adelaide was reached on 1 July 2023, and the enabling legislation passed in November 2023. TEQSA approved the merger on 22 May 2024. The merged university, Adelaide University, formally opened in January 2026, and UniSA was disestablished after 31 March 2026, when the University of South Australia Act 1990 was repealed. Applicants should therefore go through Adelaide University for new enrolment.
Before the merger, UniSA worked on six campuses: City East and City West in the Adelaide city centre, Magill, Mawson Lakes, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. In 2023 it counted 34,878 students. The load was 4,204 undergraduate equivalent full-time student units and 10,709 postgraduate units. The staff numbered 2,942, with 1,203 academic and 1,520 administrative full-time equivalents. The revenue was 715.5 million Australian dollars.
The profile was practical and industry-oriented, with programmes in business, creative fields, education, engineering, health, information technology, law, and natural and built environments. The record projects that the merged Adelaide University will launch with about 70,000 students, and that one in four will be international.
The alumni include Penny Wong, Tirana Hassan, Angelica Cheung, Steven Marshall and Christopher Pyne. The ranking lists that include UniSA, such as the Academic Ranking of World Universities, reflect the period before the merger. Applicants should read the pages of Adelaide University for the current courses, fees and entry conditions. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Prospective students should note that new courses and enrolment now run through Adelaide University, and that former UniSA degrees remain valid for graduates. Alumni can ask Adelaide University about records and transcripts. The history of UniSA is useful for understanding its profile of practical, career-oriented education, which was a distinctive feature of the Adelaide university landscape for more than three decades.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Campuses at City East, City West, Magill, Mawson Lakes, Mount Gambier and Whyalla, merger into Adelaide University.
Research:
Engineering, health, information technology, business, education and creative fields.
Famous Alumnis:
Penny Wong, Tirana Hassan, Angelica Cheung, Steven Marshall, Christopher Pyne
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2942
Current students***:
34878
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Six campuses, 34,878 students in 2023, industry-focused programmes, successor institution Adelaide University since 2026.
Cons
Institution merged into Adelaide University in 2026, so enrolment now goes through the new university.
Best For
Readers who want the history and profile of the university that merged into Adelaide University in 2026.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Think of Queensland University of Technology when finance, industrial design and life sciences is the priority: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers civil engineering and robotics as well.
Both schools build their programmes around finance, industrial design and life sciences, and University of Technology Sydney is the one to compare first within the country, since it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes.
University of Newcastle Australia offers a comparable education in finance, life sciences and data analytics: it covers civil engineering and ecology and sustainability as well, and has almost the same size, at about 36,244 students.
RMIT University sits close to this university on finance, industrial design and data analytics; it covers aerospace and civil engineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 95,000 students against roughly 34,878 here.
University of New South Wales takes a similar route through finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it also offers graduate certificate programmes and covers chemistry and physics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
The closest overseas parallel on finance, life sciences and data analytics is Indiana University Indianapolis, located in the United States; it is slightly smaller, at about 29,390 students against roughly 34,878 here, and is also a public institution.
University of Central Florida in the United States shares the finance, life sciences and data analytics orientation of this institution, and it is larger, enrolling about 70,674 students against roughly 34,878 here, and is also a public institution.
Beyond national borders, Hong Kong Polytechnic University stands out as a comparable school for industrial design, life sciences and data analytics; it covers logistics and civil engineering as well, and has almost the same size, at about 33,900 students.
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia pursues a similar profile in finance, industrial design and life sciences, and it does not run the mba programmes found here, and is larger, enrolling about 60,000 students against roughly 34,878 here.
University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa is the nearest foreign match on finance, life sciences and data analytics; it is slightly larger, at about 40,259 students against roughly 34,878 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 was the University of South Australia?
On North Terrace, Adelaide, with campuses at City East, City West, Magill, Mawson Lakes, Mount Gambier and Whyalla.
When was it founded?
In 1991, through a merger.
What happened to it in 2026?
It merged with the University of Adelaide into Adelaide University, which opened in January 2026.
When was UniSA disestablished?
After 31 March 2026.
When was the merger agreement reached?
On 1 July 2023.
Who approved the merger?
TEQSA, on 22 May 2024.
How many students did UniSA have in 2023?
34,878.
How many campuses did it have?
Six.
Which politician studied there?
Penny Wong.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Design Thinking, 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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