Student satisfaction soars at UniSC as campus grows

As three new buildings take shape at its Moreton Bay campus, the University of the Sunshine Coast is celebrating major wins for sustainability and student satisfaction.

UniSC joined the world’s top two percent of universities in a major 2023 ranking of impact on sustainability goals.

The university also topped Queensland for the overall quality of its educational experience, based on undergraduate student feedback in the national Student Experience Survey.

UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Helen Bartlett says the recognition highlights the important role UniSC plays in serving the Moreton Bay community.

“The Student Experience Survey results are significant because they reflect the direct opinions of students who report a quality experience, whether they have just finished high school or are seeking a career change or are continuing lifelong learning,” Professor Bartlett says.

“As well as topping Queensland’s public universities, UniSC outshone the national average across all categories including skills development, learner engagement, teaching quality, student support and learning resources.”

International recognition

Professor Bartlett says the results came hot on the heels of an outstanding ranking in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which measures against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

In these rankings, UniSC was ranked first in Queensland and named among the world’s top two percent of universities, placing equal 29th overall out of 1591 institutions worldwide.

UniSC also topped Queensland across multiple categories, including Climate Action, Life Below Water and Life on Land, and came equal first for Zero Hunger, and Clean Water and Sanitation, for which it placed third in the world.

“Our commitment to sustainability is embedded across the university, so it’s wonderful to see our successes recognised globally in this way, as we continue to teach, research, operate, and grow in a sustainable manner,” Professor Bartlett says.

Focus on sustainability

“Even in our expansion of the Moreton Bay campus we’re using specialty timber that regenerates rapidly, with a construction program that has been optimised for efficiency.”

As part of this ongoing commitment to sustainability, UniSC sponsored the award for Environment and Sustainability Excellence in the 2023 Moreton Bay Business Awards, which was won by Moreton Bay Recycling for the second year running.

Professor Bartlett says the standard of businesses and their commitment to sustainability in the region is outstanding.

“It’s exciting to see companies choosing to do business in this region and to help celebrate their successes in the sustainability space,” she says.

“As we partner with local businesses to meet their workforce needs, we are seeing enormous demand from school leavers and non-school leavers alike who are willing to fill those gaps. Our student enrolments in Moreton Bay continue to exceed our expectations.”