University amalgamation establishes South Australia on global education platform

University merger educates the world on what South Australia has to offer the greater student community

WHAT DOES THE AMALGAMATION OF UNISA AND UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE REALLY MEAN?

UniSA and the University of Adelaide will transition from operating as two separate entities to become one education and research powerhouse. For students, staff and researchers, the basic experience may change little. Students will still receive a high-quality tertiary education, educators will help develop future leaders in their fields, and researchers will undertake ground-breaking innovation.

However, with such scale and resources, the new university can provide an experience that ensures it not only competes with but outperforms other institutions in Australia and overseas and attracts the best minds and investment. From the first day of operation, the university experience will be at least on par to that which is provided now, then will be improved and enhanced through the transition phase to 2030.

HOW DOES THIS IMPACT STUDENTS?

The curriculum and student experience will be redesigned to ensure future-focused teaching is provided, using market-leading artificial intelligence and education technologies. The curriculum will be digital, modular, adaptable and stackable to provide students with flexibility in how they choose to study and gain their qualifications. As many fields of study as the universities currently offer individually will be available to students.

A key focus is integration with industry, while every student also experiences entrepreneurship during their course. The university’s digital course-delivery methods will provide equitable access to higher education for every prospective student, no matter their background or location.

WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS?

When the two universities are combined, it will be of a comparable size to other universities interstate and overseas, ensuring it can receive sustainable government support and other investment. This will also make it a comparatively enticing destination for individuals to work or study, whether they hail from South Australia, interstate or overseas.

Researchers will conduct future-making research on a global standing through its signature research thematics and collaborations and partnerships with industry and the community. Flexible entry requirements will mean students have more opportunities than ever before to gain the skills required for their chosen careers.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE UNIVERSITIES’ CAMPUS?

The State Government will purchase Magill campus land and lease it back to UniSA at peppercorn rent until the courses currently delivered at this site are relocated. Some areas currently surplus to requirements at UniSA’s Mawson Lakes campus will be sold but the campus will continue to operate. In the longer term, Adelaide University’s footprint may be consolidated or expanded with new campuses in new areas of South Australia.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FACULTY OF EACH UNIVERSITY?

Both universities have committed to no compulsory redundancies or retrenchments occurring through the creation of the new institution between now and 2026, as well as for the first 18 months of its operation. The long-term goal is to grow the workforce as it achieves educational and research success. A substantial number of staff also can express their interest to be involved in co-creating the institution over the next two years.

HOW WILL THIS ATTRACT INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Adelaide University’s reputation as a world leader in research and its innovative, inclusive and accessible curriculum will ensure it continues to attract students from beyond South Australia’s borders. As a single entity, the experience and reputation that Adelaide University offers also will be well understood by prospective students, particularly interstate and international applicants.

DOES THIS AFFECT EITHER UNIVERSITY’S ACADEMIC RANKINGS?

Ahead of January 2026, it will be business as usual for both universities so the amalgamation is not expected to affect either university’s academic rankings. Once Adelaide University commences, it will seek to maintain and improve on the rankings obtained by either institution in 2023.

By offering Australia’s most accessible, contemporary and future-focused teaching and learning university experiences, the goal of Adelaide University is to become and remain first in Australia for student employment outcomes, in the top five for student experience – and to enter the top 1 per cent of universities in the world.

Uni merger smart thinking, say key groups

Business SA chief executive Andrew Kay. Picture: Dean Martin

Key business and academic groups have strongly backed the merger by the universities of Adelaide and South Australia, hailing it as a chance to “create something great”.

Business SA and the research-intensive Group of Eight universities say the move to create the new entity makes perfect educational sense – while also bringing long-term economic benefits.

South Australia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business SA has been advocating for a well-governed merger since 2020, with chief executive Andrew Kay saying the amalgamation comes at a critical time.

“This gives us the opportunity to pool our resources to create something that’s great for the state,” he said. “The SA economy is going to be transformed over the next decade through investments in defence, tech, advanced manufacturing, renewables and more, so the merged entity should really be given a licence to create a curriculum that’s fit for purpose for the future of SA – and the opportunity is right in front of us to do that.”

Mr Kay said the move made sense “on every level”. “This is a chance to stop the brain drain,” he said. “There will be no need for our bright young students to head east when they can see an obvious pathway from school through a world-class university into those roles in exciting new sectors that are growing in SA.”

The merger will also strengthen SA’s presence as the largest educator of domestic students in Australia. “This is the opportunity to put tertiary education in South Australia on the world stage and createsomething of scale that will position us as Australia’s leading university.”

The new university is forecast to generate an extra $500m annually for the state economy by 2034, create an extra 1200 jobs and educate more than 70,000 students – about 13,000 more than today’s combined total. Also by 2034, the universities’ feasibility study forecast it would attract 6000 extra international students and generate an extra $100m in research revenue annually.

Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson said the merger would deliver far-reaching benefits for Australia’s research and higher education sector. “South Australia is – and will be – the epicentre of the nation’s defence push with a strong role to play in delivering on AUKUS Pillar 2,” she said. “That can’t happen without a powerhouse research and education presence and the merger will build on the existing strengths of the two universities.

“It will ensure greater opportunities for our young people and for the existing workforce to upskill. It will also ensure South Australia is well-placed to attract the absolute best when it comes to research and researchers, as well as international students.”

Ms Thomson said research had a “direct impact” on the economy. “The University of Adelaide’s research and commercialisation activities in 2020 added almost $2.3 billion to the economy as part of an overall economic impact of over $4.7 billion by the university,” she said. “In the current funding environment, scale is important, and the merger would mean the university will have more resources to deliver the education, skilled workforce and research SA – and indeed Australia – needs to underpin economic growth.”

Opportune moment to focus on the ‘student experience’

University of Adelaide Student Representative Council president Georgia Thomas. Picture: Russell Millard

An enhanced “student experience” must be a fundamental outcome of the university merger.

University of Adelaide Student Representative Council president Georgia Thomas says it is crucial student wellbeing remains at the heart of the amalgamation.

The second-year politics and sociology student is “cautiously optimistic” about the move but says there are issues she would like to see addressed. “We’re mostly concerned about the student experience being improved (in the new uni) because of the merger – that would be the best outcome,” she says.

“I definitely understand the opportunities that are there and I think there is real opportunity to reinject campus culture following Covid-19 and to improve the situation for those students who face barriers to entering university.”

Dominic Matthews, a third year medical imaging student at the University of South Australia’s City East campus, is largely positive about the new “super-university”.

“In terms of South Australia having a university that’s really competitive in the global standings, a merger like this will be greatly beneficial,” he says. “It will attract international students, good teaching staff … and that will help in the long run in getting more skilled workers in Australia as well.

“The more talent we get coming through our doors – picking our university compared to another one in America or Canada ... will be greatly beneficial.”

Mr Matthews agrees the move needs to be handled with the students’ interests in mind. “From the students’ perspective, they want a seamless path through university and I feel that if the transition isn’t done well ... it could make life harder (for them),” he says.

“But if it’s done well, it could be great.”

Stepping stones to our new university

The councils of the universities of Adelaide and South Australia signed a Statement of Cooperation with the State and Australian governments in December last year to back a combined new university for South Australia.

The Statement set out the commitment of all partners towards the establishment of the new institution, to be known Adelaide University. It followed the release of a commitment from the State Government looking at how SA could best be served by its university sector.

In March this year, the universities released a vision statement and undertook an engagement period. A comprehensive business case was presented for consideration in June, with the councils subsequently resolving to enter into Heads of Agreement to support the government in the creation of the new Adelaide University.

All partners have a shared ambition to create a future university that will be transformative and build on the combined strengths and legacies of the existing institutions to make a significant impact for South Australia, Australia and globally.

Both universities have committed to no compulsory redundancies or retrenchments as a consequence of creating the new institution.

The power of two to deliver a world beater

University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj AC

University of South Australia Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd

Neither of us has higher education in our DNA. We were both the first in our families to attend university, and so we know – firsthand – the power of education. We’ve lived it, we’ve seen the benefit to our families, our communities, how it changes lives.

Our teams at UniSA and the University of Adelaide have spent much of this year examining our institutions in the context of what a new university could be – and why it should exist – and what it could mean for you, your children, your grandchildren and beyond. Indeed, the wider world.

This is our opportunity to create a South Australian university of national and global standing with the scale to be change-ready and brave enough to benefit from a rapidly changing, increasingly disrupted education landscape.

We agreed early on that this process must deliver something unprecedented – a new and better institution greater than the sum of its parts, better able to serve the community than we could alone.

After countless hours analysing, debating and soul searching, we arrived at and agreed an outline for that better university and how we can work with each other, and the community, to bring it to life.

It’s almost unheard of to have the opportunity to design, from scratch, an ideal university – but that’s exactly the opportunity we have. Some have questioned the notion of a “unicorn” university, but who is to say that equity and excellence in education are mutually exclusive? Nor are the goals of outstanding student experience and impactful research.

We’ve agreed the framework for the creation of the new Adelaide University. Its founding legislation will be based on UniSA’sf ounding act, with its focus on the importance of placing university education within reach for all. It includes a deep commitment to regional education, Aboriginal education and access for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds – all core strands of institutional DNA that will follow us into the new university.

We bring differing, overlapping and mutually reinforcing strengths to an institution of considerable scale with the financial capacity to pursue and deliver on our ambitions. By combining our resources, augmented by state government investment, and with the growth in student numbers we can deliver, we know we can improve student experience, revolutionise our curriculum and advance our research activities.

Joining forces provides an opportunity to be prepared for the unexpected and to leverage technological resources, with quality curricula that are tailored for future industries, and research strategies that mean our advances will not just benefit our societies, they will transform them.

Objective rankings simulations show the new Adelaide University will sit inside the global top 100 from day one – or be knocking at its door – and stay there.

We have modelled bigger student demand. With confidence, we expect to create jobs both in the university and in associated industries, and we will generate another $500 million for the SA economy each year, once we’re well-established and operating.

We have also committed to a complete overhaul of what we teach, to ensure the new university has the nation’s best and most contemporary curriculum. We will modernise our content for the digital future, giving students the flexibility they need to succeed.

An undertaking of this size is resource intensive and not without risk. We accept that not all will agree with this ambition. However, with backing and investment from the SA Government and our detailed planning, we believe the risks are navigable and more than offset by the opportunities being created for decades to come.

Indeed, we have concluded that the greatest risk in front of us is in not acting on this outstanding opportunity for our wonderful state and generations of future learners.

Benjamin Franklin once said that “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. It is our lived experience that this is true.

Adelaide University gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure the economic and social prosperity of all South Australians.

Realising our goals will take planning, courage and resources. Above all, it will take great people – staff, students, alumni and, importantly, our community partners – as we seek to deliver a new university for South Australia.

Built on the different, but complementary, strengths of our separate institutions, we are confident the new Adelaide University will yield significant dividends for our community now – and for generations to come.

Professor Peter Høj, University of Adelaide Vice Chancellor

Professor David Lloyd, University of SA Vice Chancellor