The top universities in Adelaide and South Australia for 2022

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South Australian students are spoilt for choice, with a number of campuses in and around Adelaide’s city centre. There are also providers further afield in Whyalla on the upper Spencer Gulf and Mt Gambier, the state’s second-largest city.  

Undergraduate degrees are available in all the general disciplines (humanities and science, for example) and the professions, including dentistry, law, medicine and engineering. There is plenty more on offer in the niche fields too.  

There is no one university that is best for all students, since different things matter to different people. The Good Universities Guide ratings provide a series of insights on Australian universities, helping those in the process of deciding where to study. 

Courses and institutions differ in many ways and only the student can decide which differences really matter to them. Check out the ratings for universities in South Australia and filter by study level (undergraduate or postgraduate). Some ratings are also available to filter further by field of study.  

In the tables below, we’ve listed the university that ranked highest in each rating category for South Australia in the 2022 edition of The Good Universities Guide ratings. 

Characteristics

Rating Type DefinitionTop university (undergraduate)
Social Equity  The proportion of domestic students enrolling at each university from low socioeconomic or disadvantaged backgrounds CQUniversity – 39%  
Staff Qualification 
The proportion of staff who hold a masters or doctoral degree  University of South Australia — 78% 
Student Demand 
Where high-achieving students choose to study — compares the proportion of commencing students with high ATAR scores at each university 
University of South Australia— Low: 0.2Medium: 0.65High: 0.15 
Student – Teacher Ratio
The number of students per teaching staff member 
The University of Adelaide — 21:1
First Generation 
The proportion of domestic students commencing a bachelor degree whose parents’ education is known and did not exceed Year 12 
CQUniversity—50% 

The Student Experience 

Rating Type Definition

Top university (undergraduate)

Top university (postgraduate)
Learner Engagement The proportion of students who felt they were engaged with learning in their institutionAustralian Catholic University (ACU) — 59.8% Torrens University Australia — 60.7%  
Learning ResourcesThe proportion of students who were satisfied with the learning resources provided by their institution University of South Australia — 85.8% University of South Australia — 84.3% 
Overall ExperienceThe proportion of students who were satisfied with the overall quality of their educational experience CQUniversity — 76.5% Torrens University Australia — 74.9% 
Skills Development The proportion of students who were satisfied with the skill development they experienced through their studies Australian Catholic University (ACU)  — 83.9% Torrens University Australia — 83.5% 
Student Support The proportion of students who were satisfied with the support they received from their institution Flinders University — 78.2%   University of South Australia — 78.5% 
Teaching Quality 
The proportion of students who were satisfied with the quality of teaching they experiencedCQUniversity — 81.8% Torrens University Australia — 81.3% 

Graduate Outcomes

Rating Type DefinitionTop university (undergraduate)Top university 
(postgraduate)
Graduate Salary 
The median salary of graduates from different universities CQUniversity — $67,800 CQUniversity — $98,800  
Full-time employmentThe employment rates of graduates from different universities CQUniversity — 77.7%

Australian Catholic University (ACU) — 91.8% 

Head to the Ratings tab to view our most recent ratings for South Australian universities — filter by subject and level of study to find the one that suits.  

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