Address: 35 Stirling Highway, 6009 Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
Science, Engineering, Medicine, Business, Law, Arts, Music
The University of Western Australia was established on 16 February 1911 by the University of Western Australia Act 1911, following a royal commission in 1910. The first students arrived in March 1913 at Irwin Street in central Perth, and the university moved to its present site at Crawley in 1932. John Winthrop Hackett, the founding chancellor, died in 1916, and his bequest funded the main buildings and many scholarships. It is one of the sandstone universities, the oldest university in each state.
The Crawley campus, at 35 Stirling Highway, sits on the Swan River about five kilometres west of the centre of Perth. The university introduced the PhD in 1946, awarded the first in October 1950, and launched the Bachelor of Philosophy in 2013. It belongs to the Group of Eight.
In 2023 it counted 29,426 students, among them 18,792 undergraduates, 8,740 coursework postgraduates and 1,894 research postgraduates, and 3,795 staff, of whom 1,702 were academic. In 2020, around 23 percent of enrolments were from other countries. The university has an Arts Faculty, a School of Humanities, a School of Engineering, a Business School, a Law School and a Conservatorium of Music.
More than 80 research institutes and centres operate at UWA. They include the Oceans Institute, the Institute of Agriculture, the Energy and Minerals Institute and the Centre for Software Practice. The university hosts the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, known as ICRAR, which is closely linked to radio telescope projects in Western Australia.
Barry Marshall, a graduate, received the Nobel Prize for his work on the bacterium behind stomach ulcers. Other alumni include the former prime minister Bob Hawke, the former deputy prime minister Kim Beazley, the premiers Alan Carpenter, Colin Barnett, Geoff Gallop and Richard Court, the Australians of the Year Fiona Stanley and Fiona Wood, the businessman Andrew Forrest and the comedian Tim Minchin. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Astroscience, Chemistry, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Group of Eight, the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, the Oceans Institute, and the Institute of Agriculture.
Research:
Oceans, agriculture, energy and minerals, radio astronomy, software practice, with more than 80 research institutes and centres.
Famous Alumnis:
Barry Marshall, Bob Hawke, Kim Beazley, Fiona Stanley, Fiona Wood, Andrew Forrest, Tim Minchin
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3795
Current students***:
29426
Foreign students***:
23%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading research university in Western Australia, historic riverside campus near Perth, Nobel laureate among graduates, strong in oceans and radio astronomy.
Cons
Perth is far from other major Australian cities, high fees for international students, cost of living.
Best For
Students seeking a leading research university in Perth with strong oceans, agriculture, minerals and astronomy research.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Curtin University is the closest domestic counterpart for astroscience, marine science and chemistry; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral, graduate certificate and mba programmes, and covers materials and data analytics as well.
University of Queensland works in much the same fields, chiefly marine science, agriculture and chemistry, and it covers nanotechnologies and bioengineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 57,200 students against roughly 29,426 here.
Where this institution leans on astroscience, chemistry and ecology and sustainability, Australian National University does the same, and it also offers graduate diploma programmes and covers finance and statistics as well.
For students who like the marine science, agriculture and chemistry focus of this university but want another option nearby, University of Sydney fits well: it is also a public institution and also offers graduate diploma programmes.
Where this university leans on agriculture, chemistry and physics, University of Adelaide does the same, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral, graduate certificate and mba programmes, and covers food science and data analytics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
On content, University of Cape Town in South Africa and this university are close, as both teach astroscience, chemistry and physics; it has almost the same size, at about 28,233 students, and is also a public institution.
Seoul National University in South Korea is the nearest foreign match on agriculture, chemistry and physics; it covers electrical and electronics and materials as well, and has almost the same size, at about 28,300 students.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on agriculture, chemistry and physics is National Taiwan University in Taiwan, and it covers finance and electrical and electronics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 34,483 students against roughly 29,426 here.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on astroscience, chemistry and physics is University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and it is slightly larger, at about 40,259 students against roughly 29,426 here, and is also a public institution.
Tel Aviv University in Israel pursues a similar profile in chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here and covers finance and computer vision 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 Western Australia?
At 35 Stirling Highway in Crawley, on the Swan River, about five kilometres west of Perth.
When was it established?
On 16 February 1911, by the University of Western Australia Act.
When did students first arrive?
In March 1913 at Irwin Street in central Perth.
When did it move to Crawley?
In 1932.
How many students does it have?
In 2023, 29,426, including 18,792 undergraduates.
How many staff does it have?
3,795 in 2023, of whom 1,702 were academic.
Is UWA part of the Group of Eight?
Yes.
What is ICRAR?
The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, hosted by the university.
Which Nobel laureate is a graduate?
Barry Marshall.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Astrophysics, 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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