This vintage university’s alumni include five Nobel Laureates, over 100 Rhodes Scholars, Australia’s first woman prime minister and first woman Supreme Court judge

Reshma Ravishanker

Founded in 1874, the University of Adelaide (UoA) is the sixth continent’s third oldest university. Currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, the publicly-funded UoA is ranked among the world’s top one percent by highly-reputed international ranking agencies — #89 in the QS World Rankings 2024, #74 in US News & World Report’s Best Global Universities Rankings 2023, and #111 in the THE World University Rankings 2024. Moreover, the varsity’s research outcomes are rated “above or well above world standard” by the Australian Research Council’s Excellence in Research Australia Program. In 2023, Adelaide U reported an impressive $231.8 million (Rs.1,937 crore) research income.

Sprawled across three campuses in Adelaide (and one in Melbourne), the university offers 148 undergraduate and 87 postgraduate programmes to 22,700 students including 6,800 international students from 100 countries worldwide. It’s pertinent to note that UoA’s second largest cohort (after China) of foreign students is from India.

This vintage Oz varsity has schooled a string of illustrious alumni including five Nobel Laureates, over 100 Rhodes Scholars, Australia’s first woman prime minister Julia Gillard, Supreme Court judge Roma Mitchell, poet and classicist, Adenan Satem, and astronaut Andy Thomas, among others.

Adelaide. The cosmopolitan capital of South Australia, Adelaide (pop.1.4 million) is a superbly well-planned city of wide streets and boulevards, neat public squares, parklands and a mixture of historic and modern buildings. The economic, cultural, political and social epicentre of the state, this coastal city is ranked #12 worldwide in The Economist’s Global Liveability Index 2022, and offers excellent social and recreational opportunities including cinemas and theatres, museums, art galleries, music, shopping, sailing and windsurfing on its 60-km long coastline, hiking excursions and exploration of wineries on peripheries of the city.

Public transport infrastructure within the city is excellent, convenient and inexpensive and the climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Average temperature varies between 25oC-35oC in summer and 10oC-15oC in winter.

Campus facilities. UoA hosts four campuses — North Terrace, Roseworthy, Waite and Melbourne. The main North Terrace campus is sited in the heart of Adelaide, within walking distance of the Art Gallery of South Australia and State Library of South Australia, and offers a mix of historical and contemporary architecture combining old sandstone buildings with state-of-the-art teaching, learning and research facilities. This campus is the hub of undergrad studies and research centres.

The Waite campus is sited within a seven kilometre radius from North Terrace and hosts the university’s Urrbrae House Historic Precinct, Waite Arboretum, Waite Conservation Reserve and Waite Research Institute. This campus is Oz’s pre-eminent plant and agricultural science research hub providing high quality research facilities for farming systems, viticulture and oenology, food science and nutrition.

The Roseworthy campus, sited 50 km from Adelaide, hosts South Australia’s sole veterinary school and also focuses on research in drylands agriculture. Further afield in the state of Victoria, the Melbourne campus within the Docklands Campus offers undergrad and postgrad programmes in commerce, finance and information technology. In addition, UoA also operates several research facilities at Thebarton, a suburb of Adelaide, and an international campus in Singapore — the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre, which offers postgrad and research degree programmes.

Inevitably in sports and games-loving Oz, all campuses have excellent sports and recreation facilities. Over 70 clubs offer a gamut of extra-curricular options, with the extensive scenic parklands bordering the university campus ideal for walks and cycling.

Admission. UoA recognises the class XII Indian School Certificate (ISC) awarded by CISCE and All India Senior Secondary Certificate (CBSE), and class XII certifications awarded by the Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana state boards, for admission into its undergraduate programmes. Minimum average score required is 68-78 percent. Moreover, students need to provide proof of English language proficiency (minimum IELTS score 6.5-7.0 or TOEFL score 79-94). Students who don’t meet admission eligibility criteria can enrol in the varsity’s foundation studies programme.

For further information, contact +61 8 8313 7335 or 1800 407 527 (Toll free), email [email protected] or visit www.adelaide.edu.au.

Accommodation. Housing options include University of Adelaide Village, Mattanya Student Residents and Roseworthy Residential Colleges. The village is located five minutes from Adelaide’s central business district and Chinatown precinct, and provides fully furnished five-bedroom townhouses and four-bedroom apartments.

Located in the suburbs, Mattanya offers residential facilities for students from four varsities. Students are allocated a single room within four-or five-bedroom residences equipped with shared furnished kitchen, air-conditioned living room and car parking. Roseworthy Residential Colleges offer rooms, common kitchens, and laundry facilities.

Apart from university managed accommodation, other housing options include private rented apartments and dormitory options.

Degree programmes. The university’s three faculties — Sciences, Engineering, and Technology; Arts, Business, Law, and Economics and Health and Medical Sciences — offer a range of undergrad, postgraduate and research programmes.

SCHOLASTIC OPTIONS AT Adelaide U

UoA’s three faculties offer 148 undergraduate and 87 postgraduate programmes.

They include:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Adelaide Medical School, Adelaide Dental School, Adelaide Nursing School, School of Public Health, School of Psychology, School of Allied Health Science and Practice, School of Biomedicine and Adelaide Rural Clinical School.
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering, and Technology. Centre for STEM Education and Innovation, School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, School of Biological Sciences, School of Chemical Engineering, School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, School of Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences.
Faculty of Arts, Business, Law, and Economics. Adelaide Business School, Adelaide Law School, Elder Conservatorium of Music, School of Humanities, School of Education, School of Social Sciences, School of Economics and Public Policy and The National Centre for Aboriginal Language and Music Studies.
Tuition fees (per year): AUD 39,500-56,000
Living expenses (incl. accommodation): AUD 8,750-13,550
1 AUD$ = INR 55.6