Bond Uni scores top rankings in Good Universities Guide

Queensland’s universities have smashed ratings in a respected tertiary guide, earning top placings in a number of key areas.

Bond University on the Gold Coast. File picture: Mike Batterham

Queensland’s universities have smashed rankings in the Good Universities Guide this year, landing top gongs for skills development, social equity and learner engagement.

The 2024-2025 Good Universities Guide, released on Monday, provided independent five-star performance ratings for every university in Australia.

Several universities around the Sunshine State have taken the number one spot across 11 categories related to teaching, opportunities and employment.

Bond University, one of the Gold Coast’s top tertiary schools, ranked number one in several of the education guide’s categories.

The private, not-for-profit university ranked first for ‘learner engagement’, or having the highest number of students who felt engaged at the institution.

The Queensland university also ranked number one for ‘skills development’ – having the highest percentage of students who positively rated their skills development.

For the ‘lowest student-to-staff ratio’ category, Bond University tied first with the Australian National University.

Bond University vice chancellor and president Professor Tim Brailsford said the institution’s number one position in Queensland was a reflection of their “determination to put students first, and our focus on continually evolving to meet the ever-changing world of higher education”.

“We are very proud to yet again be recognised for excellence across a range of important measures that matter for students,” Professor Brailsford said.

“We offer a different experience with an accelerated academic calendar, personalised journey and holistic approach, and it is pleasing to see that our students rate Bond University so highly.”

Central Queensland University in Rockhampton. Supplied

Central Queensland University pulled up first in the ‘social equity’ category for having the highest proportion of students who came from a low socio-economic or disadvantaged background. The tertiary institution also placed fourth in the full-time employment category.

Meanwhile, the University of the Sunshine Coast also ranked favourably in the guide, placing second nationally for postgraduate and fourth for undergraduate educational experiences at Australia’s public universities.

UniSC was also Australia’s second-ranked university for postgraduate teaching quality, and was among the top five in the nation and first in the state for undergraduate teaching excellence.

UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Helen Bartlett said UniSC was committed to maintaining a five-star experience for students across key university benchmarks and was proud to foster an environment that created enthusiastic, highly satisfied learners.

The University of the Sunshine Coast first in Queensland for undergraduate teaching excellence.

“UniSC has received five stars for teaching quality every year since 2006 and has been awarded 13 consecutive five stars for an overall educational experience,” Professor Bartlett said.

“The results celebrate our talented and dedicated academics who strive to provide teaching that engages and inspires.”

The University of Queensland nabbed fourth place in the ‘staff qualifications’ category and sixth in the ‘learning resources’ category.

Griffith University snuck into eighth place in the ‘educational experience’ category and seventh for ‘staff qualifications’.