At the University of Newcastle we are guided by our Looking Ahead Strategic Plan 2020-2025 which stands the University up on four core values: excellence, equity, engagement and sustainability. They underpin everything we do; they drive every student interaction, enrolment, and experience. At the University of Newcastle, we have more than 37,000 students from 112 nations studying with us each year and we’re committed to helping every one of them have an outstanding experience during this time. Our vibrant campuses across Newcastle City, Callaghan, Ourimbah, Sydney and Singapore provide spaces to learn, socialise and collaborate. Regardless of their course, every student is encouraged to take up the opportunity to work with industry as part of their study – we call it work-integrated learning. It means our graduates are ready for the jobs and innovations of the future.

A foundation of excellence and equity

The University of Newcastle has a long-standing commitment to equity and social justice. Our policies and practices aim to widen participation, promote diversity and fairness, and overcome injustice; increasing success for all’.

Our Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education, the Wollotuka Institute, our flagship body for Indigenous activities, demonstrate our pledge of social equity, cultural cohesion, and our deep respect for the Indigenous heritage of our nation. We have the maximum five-star rating for social equity from the 2021 Good Universities Guide.

In 2021 we will launch our Indigenous Education and Research Framework; our pioneering document to guide the University on our continued commitment to excellence in Indigenous education and research. Indigenous education and research is about all of us. It is how we, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, can learn, research and apply Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Better connected

As a top 200 University in the world as ranked by QS World University Rankings, we are a globally-connected university committed to our region. We know that a better tomorrow lies in our ability to find new solutions to some of the planet’s greatest challenges – and that we need to take solutions developed in our backyard to the rest of the world. As we achieve this goal through collaborations with local and global industry and research partners, we’re proud that more than 95 per cent of our research is considered ‘at or above world standard’. Through research excellence, we are solving problems and positively changing lives – from improving people’s health to finding ways to mitigate climate change.

Leaders in sustainability

We understand that if we truly care about the future for our students and our communities, we must care for our planet. In 2020, we moved to 100 per cent renewable electricity and are on track to be carbon neutral by 2025. We also know that environmental and sustainability impact is not something organisations or governments can do alone. Our University has been recognised as the global leader in building partnerships that achieve a sustainable future. We were ranked number one in the world in the Times Higher Education United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in this category.