About us

Location	Adelaide , Australia	Funding Type	Public
No of Students	32000	Establishment	University
Founded In	1991	Estimated Cost of Living	24505 AUD
Address	Level 1, 101 Currie Street, Adelaide SA 5000

The University of South Australia is Australia’s University of Enterprise on the global stage, agile and astute, known for relevance, equity and excellence.

We educate and prepare global learners from all backgrounds, instilling professional skills and knowledge, and capacity and drive for lifelong learning.

We undertake research that is inspired by global challenges and opportunities, delivers economic and social benefits, and which informs our teaching.

We operate through a partnered, end-user informed culture of teaching and research with a commitment to outstanding service, continuous improvement and sustainability.

The way all great stories start is with a challenge, and this is where our story started. In 1991, a new force was established – we challenged the norm by bringing together an Institute, a College and a School of Art, to form the University of South Australia.

Today, we have more than 240,000 alumni, industry partnerships with more than 2500 companies worldwide, offer degrees that are industry-focused and informed, and have become one of Australia’s largest online education providers. It is this drive and ambition to break the norm that makes us who we are. Australia’s University of Enterprise.

The University of South Australia (UniSA) was established in 1991 but our foundations date back to the latter half of the 19th century.

The forerunners of today’s UniSA were the South Australian School of Art, founded in 1856, the first of several Teacher Training Colleges formed in 1876, and the School of Mines and Industries which was established in 1889. These schools were renowned for providing quality education and for responding to the needs of the nascent colony of South Australia.

Under the University's Act, our mission was "to preserve, extend and disseminate knowledge through teaching, research, scholarship and consultancy, and to provide educational programs that will enhance the diverse cultural life of the wider community."

A faculty structure was adopted in 1992, and in 1993 UniSA established the Australian Technology Network (ATN) with the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Curtin University of Technology in Perth, RMIT University in Melbourne and the University of Technology, Sydney.

In 1994, the first two research institutes the Ian Wark Research Institute and the Institute for Telecommunications Research were established, followed in 1996 by the Flexible Learning Centre, which played a major role in facilitating strategic directions for improving teaching and learning.

In 1997, UniSA became one of the first universities to identify seven Graduate Qualities, which remain central to our teaching and learning framework, and adopted a Statement of Commitment to Aboriginal Reconciliation.

A Statement of Strategic Intent was formalised in 1998 to clearly define the University's character and objectives, and the current divisional structure replaced the faculty structure.

Central to the University's evolution as a modern and diverse institution was Blueprint 2005, a $140 million project that saw the closure of the Underdale campus, the construction of major buildings at City West, City East and Mawson Lakes campuses, and the extension of others. Phase one was completed in early 2005 and phase two which included the construction of the Hawke Building at City West was completed in October 2007.

In 2008 a new Vision, Mission and Values statement was released as a 21st century statement of who we are and what is important to us.

In 2010 Horizon 2020, a 10-year plan to guide our growth and development, was launched and in 2013, Crossing The Horizon refined that vision with detailed action sets that the University has taken towards becoming Australia’s University of Enterprise. In 2018, Enterprise25 was released to build and refine the University's strategic direction and set further goals for the next seven years.