Law and agriculture students give universities top marks but one in three IT students unhappy
Which universities and courses do students rate best? See the full breakdown from an extensive survey.
Unhappy students have marked down the quality of some elite sandstone universities, as fresh data reveals higher student satisfaction rates at specialist or regional institutions.
Agriculture, physiotherapy and law students are happiest with the quality of their degrees, while those studying business, dentistry and computing studies are the least satisfied.
Nearly one in five students were seriously considering dropping out last year, with many citing stress or financial pressures, the latest Student Experience Survey shows.
The 2024 results, based on completed surveys by 257,865 tertiary education students, reveal satisfaction rates have bounced back from pandemic lows, with 76.5 per cent of undergraduates giving a positive rating. Students studying on campus gave more positive reviews than those studying online, with higher praise for skills development, peer engagement and learning resources.
On the key measure of teaching quality and engagement, 80.3 per cent of students gave positive feedback. The result was buoyed by more positive results from international students, with domestic student ratings below or near pre-pandemic levels.
Despite steep competition and higher fees for international students, sandstone universities performed relatively poorly in the 2024 results. One in three students marked down the University of Melbourne, which recorded the lowest satisfaction rating of 68.1 per cent – significantly below Victoria University’s 79.1 per cent and La Trobe’s 78.5 per cent.
The elite University of Sydney did not perform much better, with only 71 per cent of students giving a positive rating for their overall educational experience. At least a quarter of students marked down their experience at the University of NSW (27.1 per cent), Monash University (25.4 per cent) RMIT University (27 per cent), the University of Southern Queensland (27.7 per cent) and the University of Notre Dame (26.9 per cent).
Private universities, which charge upfront fees to all students, outperformed many of the publicly funded universities. The religious University of Divinity – which charges $52,416 for a bachelor’s degree in counselling, theology or ministry – scored the highest student satisfaction rating of 92 per cent.
Bond University, where students pay $456,820 for a medical degree or $107,040 for a Bachelor of Arts, was rated at 86.3 per cent.
The highest-ranked public university is the University of Wollongong, where 90.9 per cent of students gave a positive ranking, with the Australian Catholic University scoring 80.5 per cent, Deakin University 80.1 per cent and the University of the Sunshine Coast 80 per cent.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the 2024 survey shows graduate employment rates are strong, and student experiences at university are improving after the massive disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21.
But he said there was still “more to do’’ to improve results.
“Work is under way on how to break down the barriers between TAFE and university and create a more joined-up education system,’’ he said.
“Next month, education ministers will consider reforms to improve university governance.
“Next year, needs-based funding will start to better support students at universities from disadvantaged backgrounds, and from regional Australia and the bush.’’
The fresh data shows that fewer students considered quitting last year, when 18.3 per cent of undergraduates had seriously considered leaving their institution – down from a record 20.5 per cent in 2021.
Financial difficulties were cited by 40 per cent of the students poised to drop out of their degrees.
Only 20 per cent blamed boredom or a lack of interest in their studies.
Nearly a quarter cited a lack of academic support, and one-third blamed a heavy study workload.
“The most cited reasons for considering leaving included stress levels, mental health, financial difficulties, study workload, and study/life balance,’’ the report states.
At least 80 per cent of students studying agriculture, the environment, veterinary science, rehabilitation, law, tourism or health services had a positive experience last year.
But one in three IT and computing students were unhappy with the quality of their education, along with at least one in four students of dentistry, engineering, business and architecture.
Employers gave strong ratings to Australia’s universities in the 2024 Employer Satisfaction Survey, with the Australian Catholic University topping the list.
Overall, 85.5 per cent of supervisors expressed satisfaction with their graduate employees, with 92.7 per cent endorsing their technical skills and 87.6 per cent endorsing collaborative skills.
However, employers’ satisfaction with graduates’ foundation skills of general literacy, numeracy and communication has fallen significantly over the past nine years – down from 92 per cent in 2016 to 84.3 per cent last year.
Interestingly, employers gave higher ratings to graduates who had studied on campus (87.9 per cent), rather than online (80.4 per cent).
Employers also gave higher ratings to graduates from migrant backgrounds, as well as international students, compared to English-background domestic students.
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