Australia's universities prepare people for the highly skilled jobs of tomorrow, and to be leaders in developing and adapting new knowledge to revitalise our economy, strengthen our society and tackle the many problems we will face.
A recent year-long project undertaken by the Lisbon Council ranking university systems found Australia to have the best university system in the world, for its ability to meet the challenges of a 21st century knowledge economy.
All Australian higher education institutions are continuously monitored and reviewed by government, and by industry and professional bodies to ensure that the high quality of courses, research, staff, pedagogy and services is maintained at or above international standards.
Australia's universities together have an enrolment of more than one million students, and employ more than 100,000 staff. University expenditure accounts for 1.5% of GDP, with significant spillover benefits for students, staff, industry, and the wider community. Australians with a Bachelor degree or higher earn 39% more on average compared to those who have only completed Year 12 schooling.
With 10 Nobel Prizes to date, Australia is also one of the world's leading research nations on a per capita basis. Although less than half a per cent of the world's population, Australia accounts for nearly three per cent of the world's research output. Every day over 1 billion people around the world rely on Australian discoveries to make their lives, and the lives of others, better.
