Sydney and UNSW surge in popularity as student preferences shift inner-city
A dramatic shift in student preferences reveals inner-city unis are crushing their suburban rivals, with University of Sydney capturing nearly a quarter of all applications in its state.
University of Sydney is the most in-demand institution for high school graduates, with an increasing share of prospective students preferencing inner-city unis over suburban and regional alternatives, new figures show on the eve of HSC results.
The Universities Admissions Centre’s (UAC) latest enrolment snapshot shows that almost one in four applicants for study in 2026 have put a course at the University of Sydney at the top of their wish list.
In the lead-up to HSC results being released on December 18, 72,000 people have applied for tertiary study through UAC so far and have submitted nearly 300,000 course preferences collectively.
The share of preferences currently flowing to USyd is 22 per cent, up from 20.4 per cent at the same time last year. More than 24 per cent of first preferences are going to the Camperdown-based sandstone university.
University of Sydney Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said: “We’re delighted so many students have shown interest in studying with us in 2026”.
Fellow inner-Sydney institutions UNSW – which has its main campus at Kensington – had the second largest proportion with more than one in five preferences, and was one of three universities to increase its share, along with USyd and the University of Newcastle.
Studying a degree at UNSW was the top pick for 22.6 per cent of applicants, up from 21.4 per cent.
UNSW Vice Chancellor Attila Brungs said: “We’re honoured so many young Australians see UNSW as the place that will help them achieve their ambitions”.
Meanwhile the NSW university to suffer the largest drop in demand was the University of Technology Sydney in Ultimo, down from 17.3 per cent of total preferences to 15.5 per cent.
UTS has been under fire all year from staff and students after freezing enrolments for almost 150 courses as part of its budget cuts, and has gotten rid of its degrees in public health.
Macquarie University, which has also faced poor publicity after scrapping multiple courses including archaeology, music, and majors in education studies and international relations, is down -0.9 per cent on preferences.
Western Sydney University, Charles Sturt University, the University of Wollongong and the University of Canberra also each experienced a slight drop in demand.
Isabella Wagner, 17, from Cerdon College in Merrylands, is eagerly awaiting her results this week.
“I am looking at a court at UTS, it is a wildlife conservation biodiversity course, the selection range is 80, so hopefully anything over 80 would be great,” she said.
Her classmate Deeya Vincent said: “I am aiming for a mark that would give me flexible uni options, ideally in the area of science.”
Originally published as Sydney and UNSW surge in popularity as student preferences shift inner-city
