Address: Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
Medicine and Health, Law, Business, Engineering, Architecture and Design, Arts, Science, Music
The University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania. It was created by the University of Sydney Act, passed on 24 September 1850 and assented to on 1 October 1850, and it was inaugurated on 11 October 1852 in the Big Schoolroom of what is now Sydney Grammar School. Queen Victoria granted a royal charter on 27 February 1858, and women were admitted on an equal basis from 1881. It is one of the six sandstone universities of Australia.
The main campus is at Camperdown and Darlington, close to central Sydney. The Sydney Conservatorium of Music stands at the edge of the Royal Botanic Garden, the Business School has a city campus on Castlereagh Street, the Camden campus lies in the southwest of Sydney, and other sites include Narrabri, Hoskinstown near Canberra and One Tree Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
In 2024 the university enrolled 70,298 students, among them 40,388 undergraduates, 29,910 postgraduates and 3,510 doctoral students, and it employed 9,941 staff, of whom 3,980 were academic. Eight faculties and schools teach arts and social sciences, business, engineering, medicine and health, science, architecture, design and planning, music and law.
The university belongs to the Group of Eight, CEMS, the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Eleven libraries serve the campuses, and the library describes itself as the largest academic library in the Southern Hemisphere. The Rare Books Library in Fisher Library holds about 185,000 rare or fragile books and manuscripts. The Chau Chak Wing Museum opened in November 2020 and houses the art, natural history and antiquities collections, including those of the Nicholson Museum, founded in 1860.
Five Nobel laureates are linked to the university, John Cornforth, Robert Robinson, John Harsanyi, John Eccles and Bernard Katz. Alumni include eight Australian prime ministers, among them Anthony Albanese, thirteen premiers of New South Wales, the writers Germaine Greer and Clive James and the soprano Joan Sutherland. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Group of Eight, CEMS, Association of Pacific Rim Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Research:
Medicine and health, engineering, science, law, business, arts and social sciences, architecture and design, music, with collections in the Chau Chak Wing Museum and large libraries.
Famous Alumnis:
Anthony Albanese, John Cornforth, John Harsanyi, Germaine Greer, Clive James, Joan Sutherland
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
9900
Current students***:
70300
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Oldest university in Australia, historic main campus close to central Sydney, very large library system, strong reputation among employers.
Cons
High cost of living in Sydney, high fees for international students, large and sometimes impersonal courses.
Best For
Students who want a historic, broad research university in the centre of Sydney with strong medicine, law, business and engineering.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of finance, chemistry and physics can consider University of New South Wales, and it is slightly larger, at about 82,300 students against roughly 70,300 here, and is also a public institution.
In terms of fields, University of Melbourne is the nearest neighbour, with agriculture, chemistry and physics again at the core; it covers microbiology and genetics and AI and machine learning as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 58,100 students against roughly 70,300 here.
Macquarie University works in much the same fields, chiefly finance, chemistry and physics, and it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate diploma programmes found here.
Both schools build their programmes around marine science, agriculture and chemistry, and University of Queensland 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, graduate diploma and mba.
The comparison with Deakin University is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral, graduate certificate, graduate diploma and mba programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Seen from abroad, University of Auckland (New Zealand) is a close relative on subject matter, since chemistry, physics and mathematics are central to both, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral, graduate certificate, graduate diploma and mba programmes.
For finance, agriculture and chemistry outside the home country, University of Lisbon in Portugal is a natural reference; it is slightly smaller, at about 47,794 students against roughly 70,300 here, and is also a public institution.
Abroad, University of Porto (Portugal) covers finance, chemistry and physics in a comparable way, and it is smaller, enrolling about 30,640 students against roughly 70,300 here, and is also a public institution.
National Taiwan University, in Taiwan, takes a similar route through finance, agriculture and chemistry; it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes found here.
University of Hong Kong brings a Hong Kong setting to the same core fields, finance, chemistry and physics, and it covers AI and machine learning as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 39,200 students against roughly 70,300 here.
*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 Sydney?
On the Camperdown and Darlington campus, close to central Sydney, New South Wales.
When was it founded?
By the University of Sydney Act of 1850, and it was inaugurated on 11 October 1852.
Is it the oldest university in Australia?
Yes, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania.
When did it admit women?
On an equal basis from 1881.
How many students does it have?
In 2024 it enrolled 70,298 students, including 40,388 undergraduates.
How many faculties and schools are there?
Eight, from Arts and Social Sciences to Sydney Law School.
Which networks does it belong to?
The Group of Eight, CEMS, the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
What is the Chau Chak Wing Museum?
A museum opened in November 2020 that houses the university's art, natural history and antiquities collections.
Which prime ministers studied there?
Eight Australian prime ministers, including Anthony Albanese.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Architecture, 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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