In 2025, Australia faces multifaceted challenges including critical skills shortages, productivity challenges, income and intergenerational inequality, health and education inequities, the cost of living and housing affordability. Recent years have accelerated the increasing wealth gap across the globe.
UNSW’s ultimate objective of Progress for All is born of our founding purpose to advance the economic and social prosperity of NSW and Australia. We carry that objective into this Strategy and recognise that one of the most direct ways that a university can advance prosperity is through the teaching and learning activities we provide alongside our research and innovation. We are unconditionally committed to increasing higher education access and success for groups that are traditionally underrepresented at university.
We will continue to develop relationships with industry, the not-for-profit sector, governments and the broader community that deepen our understanding and enable evidence-based, robust and viable solutions to the current economic and social challenges our society faces. We reaffirm our role as a university for the whole of NSW, just as we embrace the unique challenges and opportunities of being a world-leading university in a global operating environment.
We will be a leader in our contribution to the Societal Impact Goals:
- Reignite productivity growth in line with the national agenda.
- Reduce by at least half the proportion of all peoples living in poverty.
- Increase to 62% the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 25–64 who are employed.
- Increase low-socioeconomic participation in tertiary education to 20.2% and reach parity by 2050.
Objectives
1. Be an open, connected and accessible university that takes responsibility for improving lives in Greater Sydney, NSW and ACT, by:
- connecting closely with local communities, enabling access to education and research, and working together on issues that impact them directly
- enhancing our social licence through genuine, outcomes-focused collaboration that values local knowledge, skills and perspectives
- increasing access to our campus spaces and facilities, to ensure industry and the community can seamlessly connect and engage with all UNSW activities.
2. Offer lifelong education for our learners that enhances lives, promotes career success and empowers every individual for societal impact, by:
- providing accessible education and support structures to advance social mobility and long-term success
- increasing our lifelong learning offerings for our alumni and partner organisations
- broadening opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to learn at UNSW through inclusive, co-designed offerings.
3. Transform UNSW into an innovation hub for industry, startups and talent that will drive productivity and economic prosperity, by:
- attracting talent, industry and innovation to Australia and the region
- scaling up our innovation and entrepreneurship efforts to establish UNSW as the go-to regional hub for tech innovation, translation and sustainability solutions.
4. Shape equitable economic, financial and social policy, by:
- leveraging our depth of significant expertise and rigorous insight to be the leader in national conversations on economic and social policy
- influencing economic policies to enable our students, staff and broader community to navigate challenges of the day such as the cost of living and housing affordability.
Flagship initiatives
Scaling lifelong learning
UNSW will significantly increase our lifelong learning offerings to help people meet the demands of dynamic industries, emerging technologies and multiple careers. We will support all learners, including our alumni and employees, by providing the industry-leading skills and knowledge that distinguish UNSW learners in the job market. Our lifelong learners will be an integral part of the UNSW community.
Widening participation programs
To enable more students to access, succeed in and experience the social and economic benefits of higher education, we will expand our widening participation programs for cohorts that are traditionally underrepresented at university. We will provide the supports and structures to ensure our diversity of students are empowered to thrive academically, professionally and personally.
Increasing presence and impact in Greater Sydney
We will further our role as the university for the whole of NSW by expanding our impact in Greater Sydney, building on our existing deep education and community-focused engagements in the region. We will align programs to evolving needs, collaborating with local partners to bring services and solutions closer to where people live and work. We will create new opportunities for students to study at UNSW, with campuses and facilities that provide amenity for our partners as well as the broader community.
Leading economic and financial policy innovation for Australia’s future
UNSW will amplify our expertise in financial and economic policy to become the preeminent source of robust, rigorous, evidence-based and innovative advice to governments and decision- makers. We will engage with trusted partners to develop, test and introduce new economic ideas to improve and assure Australia’s economic health, wealth and prosperity for generations to come.
Get in touch
Our Strategy was designed by our UNSW community, for our UNSW community so we want everyone to get involved. Please get in touch to discuss the Strategy or ask any questions.