CQUniversity Australia
CQUniversity Australia has been on a phenomenal trajectory in recent years and its remarkable growth in student numbers, new courses, new campuses, infrastructure and reputation has seen it emerge as one of Australia’s truly great universities.
Originally founded in Rockhampton in 1967, as the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT) Capricornia, it was granted full University status in 1992 and was named the University of Central Queensland. The University rebranded to CQUniversity in 2009 and now has more than 30 000 students. It has firmly established itself as one of the largest universities based in regional Australia, with campuses in Adelaide, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne, Noosa, Perth, Rockhampton, Sydney and Townsville. Along with these campuses, the University also operates study centres in Biloela, Broome, Busselton, Charters Towers, Karratha and Yeppoon, and delivers programs in Cooma, Geraldton and Port Pirie, thanks to partnerships with the respective university centres in those communities.
-Sydney Campus-
-Melbourne Campus-
In 2014, CQUniversity merged with CQ TAFE bringing together more than 175 years of combined experience in the delivery of education and training and establishing Queensland’s first comprehensive, dual sector university. As a result, CQUniversity now delivers more than 300 education and training offerings, from short courses and certificates, through to undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees. Study areas include apprenticeships, trades and training, business, accounting and law, creative, performing and visual arts, education and humanities, engineering and built environment, health, information technology and digital media, psychology, social work and community services, science and environment, and work and study preparation. As a pioneer in the delivery of distance education, CQUniversity also continues to be a leader in this area with almost half of the current student cohort made up of students studying off-campus, many of whom are based in rural and remote areas.
After more than half a century working with stakeholders in regional Australia, CQUniversity is now a renowned research institution in several key disciplines and the benchmark leader for how universities should engage and collaborate with communities and industry. Its applied research focus is oriented towards real-world outcomes, with the purpose of providing solutions to challenges and identifying new opportunities for advancement in our regions and beyond.
-Brisbane Campus-
-Perth Campus-
In 2018, this research focus saw CQUniversity achieve Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) results of ‘above’ or ‘well above’ world standard in 13 categories of research including Mathematical Sciences, Applied Mathematics, Horticultural Production, Engineering, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Agriculture and Vet Sciences, Agricultural, Land and Farm Management, Public Health and Health Services and Nursing.
CQUniversity is proud to be recognised as Australia’s most inclusive university with some of the highest ratios of students from disadvantaged, mature age, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and first-in-family backgrounds. This inclusive approach and commitment to access and participation mean the University defines itself by who it embraces, rather than who it excludes.
Graduates from CQUniversity also have some of the best employment outcomes in Australia, with recent data released by the Graduate Outcomes Survey indicating that 79.9 per cent of domestic undergraduate students find full-time employment within four months of graduation, compared to the national average of 71.9 per cent. Data released by the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) also shows that CQUniversity outperforms the majority of Australian universities when it comes to the overall student experience and graduate salary outcomes.
CQUniversity places a strong emphasis on social innovation and global outreach and fosters a number of key partnerships with communities, industry and government, both in Australia and overseas. This commitment to engagement and social advancement has led to CQUniversity being recognised as Australia’s first and only Changemaker Campus by Ashoka U, an exclusive global social innovation group made up of only 40 education institutions across the world.
CQUniversity’s unique vision for diversity, outreach, engagement, research, learning and teaching, and inclusiveness, combined with its growth aspirations and continued expansion of student success, research excellence, social innovation and community engagement, has led to it being recognised within the top 600 universities in the world by the prestigious Times Higher Education World Rankings, and among the world’s best ‘young universities’ by both the Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings.
-Rockhampton Campus-
CQUniversity has ranked in the top 600 universities globally in the QS World University Rankings 2021, placing us in the top two per cent of universities and among some of the world's strongest research and teaching institutions.
CQUniversity joins 14 other young Australian universities ranked by QS in the top 100 institutions globally under 50 years of age.
CQUniversity continues to be recognised by The Good Universities Guide 2021 as one of the top five universities in Australia for undergraduate full-time employment and starting salary. Our excellent graduate outcomes have seen us receive five-star ratings in these categories year-on-year.
Current ComparED results show more CQUniversity graduates (79.5 per cent) secure full-time employment within four months of graduating than the national average (72.3 per cent), and these undergraduate alumni earn above the national average for starting salaries ($66 000 vs $61 000).
The QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020 ranks CQUniversity as one of the top 500 universities globally. With more than 28 000 universities globally, this places us among the top two per cent for graduate employability. These rankings are based on graduate employment rates, employer-student connections, university-employer partnerships, alumni outcomes and a university's reputation among employers.
Every year, Central Queensland University provides about 2.5 million Australian dollars in scholarships for international students. There is no limit on the number of places for this scholarship, and the conditions for approval are loose. Winners can get a 20% overall tuition reduction, which greatly reduces the burden of studying abroad.
-Mackay Campus-
We provide students with different stages of bridging courses to meet the English and academic entry requirements, such as direct language courses, undergraduate studies, and postgraduate studies. In addition, we also mutually recognize credits with external partners.
ComparED data shows CQUniversity postgraduate alumni experience positive career outcomes, earning 17 per cent more than the national average, with median salaries for full-time employees at $97 300 (national average $83 500) within four months of graduating. CQUniversity helps equip postgraduate students with the skills to advance their careers, with 84 per cent of students rating their skills development positively, compared to the national average of 80.9 per cent.
The QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020 ranks CQUniversity as one of the top 500 universities globally. With more than 28 000 universities globally, this places us among the top two per cent for graduate employability. These rankings are based on graduate employment rates, employer-student connections, university-employer partnerships, alumni outcomes and a university's reputation among employers.
The Good Universities Guide 2021 has awarded CQUniversity five-star ratings for postgraduate starting salary and skills development. Five-star ratings place CQUniversity in the top 20 per cent nationally in these categories. We are also ranked one of the top 10 Australian universities for postgraduate full-time employment rates.
-Cairns Campus-