A university that delivers highly sought-after graduates, who are prepared for future success through rich and broad educational experiences
UQ is renowned for excellence in teaching innovation, and developing graduates who are highly capable, motivated and prepared to succeed in their chosen field. Three years after completion, our graduate full-time employment rate is currently 92 per cent with almost two-thirds in a leadership role. Approximately 10 per cent of working graduates own their own business with over a third of our graduates giving back to the community through volunteering.
We will build on this success through an inspiring experiential curriculum that equips our graduates with both the disciplinary knowledge and transferable skills they need to have impact and influence in a rapidly changing global workplace. To that end, our focus over the next four years is to give our students an employability ‘edge’ by creating new opportunities for them to develop their leadership skills, entrepreneurial mindset, digital literacy and sense of civic duty. By 2032, we hope that at least half of our students will have participated in UQ’s enrichment experiences, including global study experiences, internships, studentstaff partnership projects, entrepreneurship programs, and industry projects.
Universities across the world have transformed the way they offer their educational programs, adopting widespread online learning through the COVID-19 pandemic. This has created an impetus for UQ to further develop our educational model combining online and on-campus learning, in a way that delivers on the ‘value-add’ of our rich campus learning experiences, global connections and extra-curricular opportunities. For those studying on campus, we will build a personalised and digital experience to create a learning environment that is seamless and flexible. Over the next four years, we will develop fully online offerings to deliver a UQ education to a broader range of domestic and international student markets.
We will also strengthen our focus on developing a sense of belonging and wellbeing for our students, wherever they may be living and studying. Optimal support will be provided through our exceptional student services, while the opening of Kev Carmody House in 2022 will add to our highly regarded network of residential colleges on our St Lucia campus and our Gatton Halls of Residence. As we strive to meet the evolving needs of our students, we aim to be within the top five universities in Australia for sense of belonging among students by 2032.
A university that leads as a premier provider of high-quality postgraduate and lifelong learning opportunities
Australia’s workforce needs will shift significantly over the coming decades. Automation will change the way we work, new industries will emerge, and demand for education to support reskilling and upskilling will increase. Embracing these evolving expectations and aspirations for education, UQ will become a premier provider of high-quality postgraduate and lifelong learning opportunities. We will create a range of internationally competitive offerings that are responsive to, and co-designed with, industry and students. These will ensure that we produce graduates with the skills and capabilities required to enable Australia’s future economic prosperity. These offerings will also enhance our ability to provide our alumni with ongoing opportunities to continue learning long after graduation through access to educational programs, services and partnerships.
We’ve set ourselves the goal of doubling our domestic postgraduate enrolments by 2032, and we will also expand our educational portfolio to incorporate alternative credentials. These will include stand-alone modules, professional certificates and stackable pathways that provide credit into a postgraduate degree.
We know that many professionals will want to dip in and out of education throughout their working life to develop the specific skills and knowledge they need to progress or change their career. We are committed to meeting the ongoing educational needs of our alumni and the evolving workforce capability needs of our industry partners. We will launch a new professional academy to support these ambitions.
Lifelong learners will be looking for flexibility. In an ‘on-demand’ world, our postgraduate, executive education and short course offerings will need to be delivered in ways that enable students to engage in education around their work, family and social commitments. We will develop new digital platforms with industry-leading partners, ensuring we’re using the best technologies to deliver flexible, high-quality education. We will also open new landmark facilities in the Brisbane CBD. In our heritage-listed building, The Chambers, we will provide world-class educational facilities, creating an environment that fosters stronger connections with industry and government in the heart of Brisbane.
A university that leverages the breadth and depth of its research capabilities and vibrant precincts to address the world’s most pressing challenges
UQ is a world-leading, research-intensive university that excels across the pipeline of research and innovation: from Discovery, through Application, Demonstration and Deployment of research. Maintaining our depth of research excellence across a breadth of disciplines will enable us to deliver transdisciplinary solutions to the most compelling challenges of our time.
Our research excellence is enhanced through our commitment to collaboration. We know we that we need to collaborate to address global research challenges. Over the next four years and beyond, we will look for opportunities that will allow us to deliver both mission-driven research and larger scale research initiatives aligned to the priorities of government, industry and the broader community. UQ is committed to investment in areas where new research partnerships can be founded, and where existing collaborations can be deepened. We will actively participate in the development of innovation precincts that enable shared access to state-of-the art research facilities, researchers and co-designing solutions with partners. Through these collaborations, discoveries will be nurtured to deliver tangible, positive outcomes.
Above all, we know that our research and innovation achievements are dependent on our extraordinary community of UQ researchers, professionals and higher degree by research students. A talented and diverse research and innovation workforce is an institutional and national asset, and UQ is committed to supporting our people to thrive.
Through our research capabilities, our partnering mindset and supporting and developing our people, UQ will deliver worldclass
research and innovation to support Australia’s national aspirations and develop solutions for major global challenges. In doing so, we aim to double our industry and philanthropic funding for research, as we continue to be seen as a national leader in research excellence, impact and engagement.
A university that is a trusted and agile partner widely regarded as a leader in entrepreneurship, knowledge exchange and commercialisation
The important contribution and role UQ has played in economic development and national preparedness through building critical national capabilities – from biotech, mining, tourism and agriculture through to hypersonics, vaccine development and renewable energy – is recognised across the globe.
Harnessing UQ research through commercialisation and collaboration will give Australia’s economy a competitive edge, attract investors and ensure all Australians benefit from our innovations. Through strong partnerships and collaboration with industry and government, we can build Australia’s prosperity and sovereign capability.
UQ’s technology transfer company, UniQuest, has positioned UQ as a leader in research commercialisation. Our entrepreneurial capability is becoming even more important as both Australia and Queensland seek to diversify industrial activities and move towards a knowledge economy.
UQ will support national development by translating research from the academic context into positive impact for our
communities, the environment and economy; and we aspire to join the global top 5 per cent of universities for commercialisation of university IP by 2032.
Over the next four years, we will increase our focus on working with industry, government, and communities to support our ambition to become a partner of choice. We know that our work is trusted, but to lead in entrepreneurship, knowledge exchange and commercialisation, UQ needs to be a more responsive and agile partner. We will develop and implement a research partnership and translation strategy to cultivate and catalyse mutually beneficial partnerships for research translation and commercialisation at scale. We will build our capacity for business development and create porous connections between the University and industry through industry placements, industry professor roles and advisory networks.
A university that has extensive global reach in education and research with a strong commitment to capacity building in the Indo-Pacific
Forging global partnerships and connectivity is at the heart of UQ’s vision to deliver knowledge leadership for a better world. UQ’s global connections are outstanding, with over 400 partners across more than 50 countries. Our deep collaborations with the University of Exeter, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) and Technology University of Munich (TUM) are examples of our commitment to build strong global partnerships in order to deliver on our educational and research priorities. We will continue to grow robust, productive partnerships and meaningful connections with leading institutions and agencies to amplify UQ’s reach, relevance and impact across the globe.
UQ remains deeply committed to global development. In 2021, we launched a Global Development Impact Plan and, in alignment with Government priorities, we will focus our efforts on capacity building across the Indo-Pacific to support the region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a wealth of capabilities across a diverse range of disciplines and our highly experienced UQ International Development team will harness this expertise to create lasting impact, with the aim of being recognised as the leading university in Australia for development impact in the Indo-Pacific by 2032.
Geopolitical uncertainty, digital disruption and increased competition with non-traditional providers push us to reconsider how we approach delivering education to international students. We are proud of our success in attracting students from across the world, but we know we must diversify our international markets.
Our new UQ College foundation program and scholarships for high-achieving students will support diversification, and the time is right for UQ to explore transnational education opportunities. We will therefore establish a range of targeted offshore offerings. We will create hybrid study options that provide students with the best of both worlds: the flexibility and reduced cost of online study in their home country, enhanced with a period of on-campus study in Australia where students can come together with their peers and teachers and access a full range of enrichment experiences. In partnership with strategically aligned institutions, we will also expand our joint-degree offerings and articulation agreements. By 2032, we envisage that 15 per cent of our international students will complete at least some of their study offshore.
A university that breaks down barriers to education through the targeted and effective Queensland Commitment
The Queensland Commitment reaffirms our position as The University for Queensland, and includes a pledge to provide greater opportunities for all Queenslanders to access a UQ education. We know that education transforms the lives of individuals and builds cultural, social and economic capital in communities. Unfortunately, there are still too many socio-economic and geographical barriers to access higher education. Students from families facing financial hardship or from regional and remote areas remain significantly underrepresented on our university campuses.
The Queensland Commitment will ensure that students who seek to study at UQ – regardless of financial circumstances and geographic location – are supported to pursue an education at The University of Queensland.
We aim to bridge these educational divides and level the playing field for a shared, prosperous future through a holistic approach. The pursuit of higher education can be financially prohibitive, especially for students who need to move away from their family home. Through strategic growth of philanthropic support, UQ will build its endowment fund to provide sustainable, needs-based scholarships for generations of future scholars.
Scholarships alone will not shift the dial in addressing educational disadvantage and raising the aspirations and awareness of promising students who have felt a UQ education is out of reach for them. To address these issues, we will draw on the experience of schools and community partners, and strategically grow high-impact pathway programs like the Young Achievers Program and InspireU.
We will integrate real-time research expertise to develop and assess a range of strategies that address aspiration building, admissions barriers, and student services to support retention and completion. Community visibility, collaboration and partnership will further underpin these efforts to drive effective and localised impact and success, and positively influence perception.
By 2032, we seek to ensure that 30% of our domestic undergraduate students will come from a regional, remote, or low socio-economic background.
Is values-led, deeply committed to delivering for the public good and supporting our people, leading reconciliation, and embracing different life experiences and perspectives
At the most fundamental level, UQ exists to serve the public good. This purpose was inherent in the legislation that founded our University and is explicit in our refreshed mission statement.
We will support economic growth by building workforce capacity and capability, innovation and partnership and economic diversification. The work of UQ’s Rural Clinical School provides one example. Ensuring all Queenslanders have access to the highest-quality health services is a critical concern, particularly for the state government and regional, rural and remote communities. To help address this concern, our Rural Clinical School has committed to delivering end-to-end medical training to high-achieving students in their local area. This will be done in partnership with the Hospital and Health Services in Darling Downs, South West, Central Queensland and Wide Bay, as well as Central Queensland University and the University of Southern Queensland. Our goal is to ensure that our medical students enter the workforce with a deep understanding of the complex needs of regional, rural and remote health services in Queensland.
At a national level, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we will embed reconciliation across the University’s operations to achieve and implement a ‘Stretch’ Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) by 2025. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research and innovation strategy will support indigenous researchers and empower research excellence that benefits Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations.
By 2032, we aspire to play a leading role in reconciliation as advocates with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities—especially through truth telling and building greater cultural understanding.
Our contribution to the public good will be broadened through our commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We will become signatories to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network University commitment to the SDGs, promoting the principles of the SDGs throughout our teaching, research and campus operations; and commit to becoming a beyond carbon neutral university by 2032.
Ultimately, UQ’s people and the strength of our culture will determine our success. We will invest purposefully in staff development, and will embed a supportive, inclusive culture that is driven by our UQ values. These revised values will guide our behaviours and interactions as we pursue truth through creativity and excellence, with integrity and courage, but also respectfully and inclusively. In line with our deep commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression, we will listen to the many voices and lived experiences across our community so that our understanding of truth is continually challenged, expanded and enriched.