I often hear vague statements about Higher Education in Australia and am used to hearing sweeping statements like ‘Australia has one of the best educational systems’ and ‘It is a safe and multicultural study destination’. While these statements are, by and large, true, students would be better advised to back these statements up with specific global indicators in their SOPs.
To understand Australian education and its quality as a whole, UNDP’s Education Index is a useful tool. The Education Index Ranks Australia second in the world in 2018 with a score 0.929. While this ranking also takes primary and secondary education along with a VET and university education into account, it is indicative of Australian education as a whole.
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the world’s leading provider of services, analytics, and insight to the global higher education sector, ranks Australian Higher Education as the 3rd best in the world after the USA and the UK. The QS Higher Education System Strength rankings assess the overall strength of a country’s higher education. Of the 43 universities in Australia (including international universities), 36 are world ranked by QS, Times Higher Education and ARWU! Thus, if there still persist any doubts about the quality of Australian Higher Education as a whole, it is time to put such doubts to bed.
Australia is also a great place to live. The Global Peace Index is a report produced by IEP (Institute for Economics and Peace) and ranks countries according to their relative ‘peacefulness’. Australia is ranked 13th among all countries in the world by IEP. The World Happiness Index is a report prepared by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN) and this index ranks Australia as the 11th happiest country in the world. Australia is also ‘the most successful multicultural society in the world’ as claimed by the ‘Australia Multicultural Statement’ (Australian Government) and has a great sporting and outdoor culture. Australians and the Australian government are also highly environmentally conscious. The Environmental Performance Index, a joint project of the Yale Centre for Environmental Law & Policy, and the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University, ranks Australia 13th in the world in Environmental Performance.
Australia is also a vibrant economy and one of the most competitive nations in the world. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index ranks Australia as the 16th most competitive nation in the world. The World Intellectual Property Organisation’ Global Innovation Index ranks Australia as the 25th most innovative country in the world. With inventions like Google Maps, WIFI, Ultrasound and the Black Box Flight Recorder, Australia is at the forefront of innovation in the world.
For all the above reasons and more, Australia is a great choice for your higher education. With one of the best higher education systems in the world and a peaceful, multicultural environment, you cannot go wrong with Australia.