Higher Education > Quality and Approvals >

Becoming a university

Introduction
Criteria for the establishment or recognition of universities
The application process

Introduction

Most universities in Australia are public institutions, but there are a few private institutions which have been authorised by governments to operate as universities. Bond University in Queensland is Australia's first government authorised private university.

Before a university can be established or recognised in Queensland, the Minister must be satisfied that the institution will comply with nationally agreed criteria, including those in the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes.

The application process for seeking establishment as a university is outlined in the Guidelines for the Establishment or Recognition of a University in Queensland. new window 136k These Guidelines are made pursuant to the Higher Education General Provisions Act 2003. The Act protects the use of the term 'university' and provides significant financial penalties for entities using the term without being established or recognised as a university.

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Criteria for the establishment or recognition of universities

Under the National Protocols, an Australian university will demonstrate the following features:

Authorisation by law to award higher education qualifications across a range of fields and to set standards for those qualifications which are equivalent to Australian and international standards;
Teaching and learning that engages with advanced knowledge and inquiry;
A culture of sustained scholarship extending from that which informs inquiry and basic teaching and learning, to the creation of new knowledge through research, and original creative endeavour;
Commitment of teachers, researchers, course designers and assessors to free inquiry and the systematic advancement of knowledge;
Governance, procedural rules, organisation, admission policies, financial arrangements and quality assurance processes, which are underpinned by the values and goals outlined above, and which are sufficient to ensure the integrity of the institution's academic programs; and
Sufficient financial and other resources to enable the institution's program to be delivered and sustained into the future.

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The application process

An organisation seeking to operate as a university in Queensland should write formally to the Minister for Education explaining its interest, and then contact the Office of Higher Education to discuss the development of an application and the application process. An application must be made in writing, and should be submitted to the Minister through the Office of Higher Education. The submission must be accompanied by the relevant application fee listed in Fee Regulation new window 348k .

An independent expert committee is appointed by the Minister, involving at least three persons with substantial knowledge and expertise in: academic affairs; university management; design, development and delivery of higher education courses; or business management. At least two members would be from outside Queensland. The committee reports to the Minister on whether the applicant's claims, judged against the legislated and agreed national criteria, justify the institution being established or recognised as a university in Queensland.

To do this, the committee will consider documentation supplied by the applicant and confer with the organisation's representatives, interview key academic and administrative staff and students, and inspect the facilities of the proposed university, including any site master plan for future development. Queensland Treasury will conduct a check on the organisation's financial capacity to support the proposed university.

The assessment process includes consultation with the higher education and broader communities.

The committee prepares a report, containing an overview of its findings, comments and recommendations to the Minister. The applicant is afforded the opportunity to comment on the report and recommendations.

The Minister will consider the report and the applicant's comments, and may approve the establishment or recognition of the proposed university, with or without conditions attached to the approval.

Alternatively, the Minister may refuse the application.

If the application is successful, the Minister will seek authority from Cabinet to prepare legislation to establish or recognise the university in Queensland. The legislation will include a power for the Minister to require information of the institution and set conditions on the institution, such as willingness to participate in periodic review processes, including national quality assurance processes.

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