University of Adelaide

It plans to merge with the neighbouring University of South Australia, is adjacent to the Australian Space Agency headquarters on Lot Fourteen and is part of the Adelaide BioMed City research precinct.

The history of the university dates back to the Union College established in 1872 to provide education to aspiring Protestant ministers who were previously required to travel to the United Kingdom.

[22] Other donors include Scottish philosopher William Mitchell who also taught literature and psychology, established many teaching schools and served as vice-chancellor and chancellor of the institution.

[23] According to its founding Act, the university was intended as a secular institution to "promote sound learning in the Province of South Australia" to be "open to all classes and denominations of Her Majesty's subjects".

[34] willing and ordaining that Degrees in Arts, Medicine, Law, Science and Music conferred by the University of Adelaide upon any person, male or female, should be recognised as academical distinctions and rewards of merit and be entitled to rank, precedence and consideration Another early benefactor Robert Barr Smith, who had previously studied under financial hardship in Scotland and served on the University Council for 19 years, had long desired for education to be accessible to all students in Adelaide.

[36] His donations included a combined £9000 towards books for the then-struggling university library and £500 towards radiation research by Lawrence and William Henry Bragg who later won the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics.

[48] Additionally, the university previously operated research facilities across 5 hectares (12 acres) in Thebarton approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) north of the campus until 2020 when it was sold for housing development.

[82][83][84][85][86] It was originally created by the Menzies government following World War II on the advice of a committee led by physicist Leslie H. Martin, during a period of high population growth and corresponding demand for secondary and tertiary education.

[9][56][92] Its expansion over the next few decades, including to sites on the west end of North Terrace, and broadening fields of studies contributed to its status as the state's largest university by student population.

[99][100][98] Following the release of several internal FOI documents retrieved by ABC News, it was later revealed that the merger talks failed due to disagreements on the post-merger institution's leadership structure.

[112][7] Warren Bebbington, who previously served as vice-chancellor at the University of Adelaide, described the proposed institution as a "lumbering dinosaur" in reference to its timing during an ongoing federal review of the higher education sector.

[113][6] An application for self-accreditation authority was submitted to the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) on 15 January 2024, which was needed for the institution to offer courses that issue qualifications.

[144][128] The A$100 million Braggs Building, named after two Nobel laureates associated with the university, was built in 2013 and features a large number of cross-disciplinary scientific research facilities.

[157] The university also has a presence in the adjacent Lot Fourteen precinct, that is also home to the national headquarters of the Australian Space Agency among other institutions in the fields of science and technology.

[202] The chancellor of the university is a limitless term position that is mainly ceremonial and is held by former Federal Court judge Catherine Branson who succeeded Kevin Scarce following his retirement in May 2020.

[235][236] It plans to merge with the University of South Australia, forms part of the Adelaide BioMed City research precinct and is a close partner with the Australian Space Agency whose national headquarters is located alongside it on Lot Fourteen.

[7][163][159][237] The university also offers a wide range of free online MOOC courses on digital learning platforms edX and FutureLearn, including the MathTrackX bridging program.

[264] It has developed high-precision measuring instruments used in the agriculture, defence, health, space exploration, tectonics, earth system science, manufacturing, mining and resources sectors.

[279] In 2020, through online meetings and webinars with stakeholders, the institute established five initiatives: Agrifood Policy; Building a City for the Future; Climate Change and Energy Transition; Democracy, Security, Trust and Integrity; and Economic Productivity through Population.

[301] These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction[301] than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.

[330][326][328] Between the pillars and the arches are two large Latin inscriptions that run across both sides of the room in gold and commemorate the donations from Robert and his family who played a major role in its development.

[368] The student union also organises the annual Prosh week events inspired by the medieval tradition of ragging or "an extensive display of noisy disorderly conduct, carried on in defiance of authority or discipline".

[369][370] The annual Procesh procession began in 1905 as a means for students to poke fun at established South Australian institutions, though ragging at the university dates back to the late 19th century.

[369][370] Following the end of free university education, the event has toned down in more recent times as a result of increased work commitments by students and the rise of social media for activism.

[385][386] It also published news, poetry and comedic works from various student clubs and societies, including the neighbouring Adelaide Teachers College which later became part of the university campus.

[450] The university throughout its history has been associated with the development of penicillin, space exploration, sunscreen, the military tank, Wi-Fi, polymer banknotes and X-ray crystallography, and the study of viticulture and oenology.

[474] Robin Warren was a pathologist who, alongside Barry Marshall, discovered that peptic ulcers were largely caused by the infection Helicobacter pylori, graduated from the university in 1961.

[479] The institutions' vice-chancellors David Lloyd and Peter Høj criticised the claims, referring to them as "whispers of Little Birds or Littlefingers",[480] though they had previously admitted that the "two-by-two approach across the board" was "not as linear as first conceived".

[485] Following the release of several internal FOI documents retrieved by InDaily from the Premier's Office, it was later revealed that the land was "earmarked for future development" for residential and commercial purposes.

[492] In determining his findings, the Commissioner relied in part on the personal blog[493] of US journalist Michael Balter, who documented Rathjens prior history of sexual harassment, and was largely responsible for bringing the matter to the public's attention, and ultimately ICAC's.

An illustration of the founders of the University of Adelaide from an 1875 engraving.
The founders of the University of Adelaide (1875 engraving)
This is a portrait of Queen Victoria whose royal charter allowed women to study at the university.
The royal charter grant by Queen Victoria allowed women to study at the university
This is a photograph of the interior of Bonython Hall, a venue for graduations and other events, during a public forum on nuclear energy.
The interior of Bonython Hall , used for graduations, during a forum on nuclear energy
This is a photograph of Bonython Hall, which was inspired by the Great Hall of the University of Sydney and of the ancient universities in Europe.
Bonython Hall , inspired by the Great Hall of the University of Sydney and ancient universities
This is a photograph of the now-demolished Jubilee Exhibition Building in 1885.
The now-demolished Jubilee Exhibition Building in 1885
This map shows the university and the locations of its neighbouring institutions in 1926.
State of the university and its surrounding institutions in 1926
This is a photograph of Blue, a theatre performance, during the Adelaide Festival 2024 at the Scott Theatre, now the university's largest lecture hall.
The Scott Theatre, also part of the former teachers' college, is the largest lecture hall
This is a photograph of the Spanish Mission Revival-style Hartley Building of the Adelaide Teachers College and its successor the South Australian College of Advanced Education, now part of the university.
The Hartley Building was the first to be purpose-built for the Adelaide Teachers College
This is a photograph of the Brookman Building of the University of South Australia through which both universities have had an intertwined history.
The University of South Australia's Brookman Building located next to Bonython Hall
This is a photograph of two neighbouring buildings, each belonging to the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide respectively.
The University of Adelaide (right) is set to merge with the University of South Australia (left) by 1 January 2026
This is a photograph of the Murray House on the Magill site, one of two University of South Australia campuses where land will be sold for housing and commercial development.
The Magill campus is one of two UniSA campuses where land will be sold for development
This is a photograph of the Mitchell Building, formerly the University Building, which is the oldest building on campus.
The Mitchell Building, formerly the University Building, is the oldest building on campus
This is a photograph of the Elder Hall, a venue for concerts and events with a statue of early benefactor Thomas Elder in front.
Elder Hall, named after early donor Thomas Elder , integrates freestone from Mount Gambier
This is a photograph of the Barr Smith Library.
The Barr Smith Library on the main Adelaide campus
This is a photograph of the Cloisters that form part of the Adelaide University Union redevelopment that connect the Union buildings with the surrounding buildings.
The Cloisters are a war memorial to University of Adelaide members who served and died during World War I
This is a photograph of the main building at the Waite campus, which is home to the Waite Research Institute.
The Waite campus is home to the Waite Research Institute
This is a photograph of "The Plant Accelerator" on the Waite campus in Urrbrae, a plant phenotyping facility.
The Plant Accelerator is a plant phenotyping facility
This is a photograph of the main building on the Roseworthy campus which was built in 1883 and now serves as a student hub.
The Roseworthy College Hall, built in 1884, is a student hub
This is a photograph of the Roseworthy Memorial Chapel, which was built to memorialise fallen soldiers from the college.
The Roseworthy Memorial Chapel was built to memorialise fallen soldiers from the college
This is a photograph of the entrance to Bonython Hall, the great hall of the university and venue for graduation ceremonies.
Entrance to Bonython Hall , a great hall of the university, and venue for graduation events
This is a photograph of Catherine Branson at a ceremony to present the 2010 Human Rights Medal to Therese Rein before her chancellorship at the University of Adelaide.
Catherine Branson at a ceremony to present the 2010 Human Rights Medal to Therese Rein prior to her chancellorship
This is a photograph of a South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute building in North Terrace.
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
This is a photograph of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning next to the Australian Space Agency headquarters in Lot Fourteen.
The Australian Institute for Machine Learning next to the Australian Space Agency HQ
This is a photograph of researchers working with glove boxes at the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing.
Researchers working at the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing
This is a photograph of the Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building.
The Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building
This is a photograph of the State Library of South Australia, located adjacent to the university, where studies were initially conducted.
The university is co-located with the State Library where studies were initially conducted
This is a photograph of the Barr Smith Library which was built in the Georgian Revival style with Corinthian pillars.
Corinthian pillars incorporated into the Barr Smith Library
This is a photograph of the Reading Room inside the Barr Smith Library. It features gold and ivory arches, pillars and a high ceiling.
The Reading Room in the library features guilded ivory arches and tall pillars
This is a photograph of the Mawson Laboratories to where the Tate Museum moved from the former Prince of Wales building in 1952
The Tate Museum is located at the Mawson Laboratories
This is a photograph of Urrbrae House, now a museum forming part of the Waite Historic Precinct.
The Urrbrae House, built in 1891, is now a museum
This is a photograph of the interior of the Elder Hall, which was inspired by Florentine Gothic architecture.
The Elder Hall was inspired by Florentine Gothic architecture
This is a photograph of the National Wine Centre of Australia on North Terrace.
The National Wine Centre of Australia on North Terrace
This is a photograph from the first Prosh Parade in Adelaide following its formalisation in 1905.
The inaugural Prosh Parade following its 1905 formalisation
This is a photograph of students on horse cart taking part in the annual Prosh event IN 1905, poking fun at Nobel Prize laureates Bragg and Bragg. A poster reads "Do not Bragg about radium".
Students on horse cart during the 1905 Prosh Parade with a poster that reads "DO NOT BRAGG ABOUT RADIUM"
This is a photograph of a footpath along the southern fence on War Memorial Drive in winter.
A footpath along the southern fence on War Memorial Drive
This is a photograph of the Barr Smith Boat Shed of the Adelaide University Boat Club, donated by Robert Barr Smith.
The boat shed of the Adelaide University Boat Club was donated by Robert Barr Smith
This is a photograph of the Adelaide University Lacrosse Club's "A" team in front of Mitchell Building during the 1896 state premiers.
The Adelaide University Lacrosse Club "A" team in black and white sporting colours
This is a photograph of the Newland Building at St Mark's College, one of several private residential colleges near the university.
Newland Building of St Mark's College , one of several private residential colleges
This is a photograph of Abraham House, one of a number of heritage-listed buildings at Lincoln College, a residential college for university students in Adelaide.
Abraham House, one of several heritage buildings that are part of Lincoln College
This is a photograph of the University of South Australia's Mawson Lakes campus, around half of which will be sold for housing and commercial development as part of the merger.
Around half of UniSA's Mawson Lakes campus will be sold for development