21 July 1999

UQ tops Queensland in key areas in universities guide

The University of Queensland - Australia's 1998-99 University of the Year - has again received the best overall rating of all Queensland universities.

It also has one of the best Australian university ratings in the 2000 edition of the Good Universities Guide to Australian Universities.

The independent consumer guide, which was released this week, provides ratings, rankings, comment and information about Australian higher education institutions.

The University received the maximum five-star rating for prestige, student demand, research performance, gender balance, staff qualifications, and positive graduate outcomes.

"UQ is Queensland's only provider in many disciplines, and is at the top of the state's academic and student status hierarchies," the unofficial consumers' guide, edited by Dean Ashenden and Sandra Milligan, says.

"A very strong research institution, UQ is one of Australia's biggest producers of PhDs and ranks high on all research indicators."

UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay said the University was committed to providing educational opportunities equal to the world's best and it welcomed benchmarking against best practice.

"The Good Universities Guide has again confirmed by independent assessment that the University of Queensland is a world class university," Professor Hay said.

"The University of Queensland is recognised as one of the best universities in the Asia region and we were recently ranked in the top 20 universities in the Asia region by Asiaweek magazine."

Professor Hay said the guide's assessment reflected the University's track record of performance and its attractiveness to students, its first-class facilities, its exceptional research performance and the outstanding success of graduates in gaining employment and access to advanced study.

For more information, contact Professor John Hay, telephone 07 3365 1300.