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About UNE

The Gordon Window

The University of New England (UNE) is the smart choice for students of the future. UNE combines the highest academic standards and industry-valued qualifications with flexible modes of learning.

(The Gordon Window, at the right, is a feature of Booloominbah. View the window detail and learn about its history.)

A reputation for excellence

The University of New England was the first Australian university established outside a capital city. With a history extending back to the 1920s, UNE has a well-earned reputation as one of Australia's great teaching, training and research universities.

Its graduates consistently rate their experience at UNE highly, a reflection of the University's commitment to student support. More than 75,000 people now hold UNE qualifications, with many in senior positions in Australia and overseas. UNE has built up its academic profile to the point where it now has more than 500 PhD candidates, an important sign of the University's academic vigour and rigour.

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Support for students

Each year, the University offers students more than $2.5 million in scholarships, prizes, and bursaries and more than $18 million for staff and students involved in research. Through the University's broad network of international partnerships, many UNE students have opportunities to travel overseas without having to defer their studies.

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Studying from a distance

Since 1955, teaching off-campus students by distance education has been an important part of the University's activities. UNE is now Australia 's longest continuous provider of distance education and with more than 15,000 external students, is still one of Australia 's major providers of awards to off-campus students. Increasingly, the flexibility offered by external study is proving a significant attraction to those pursuing a tertiary education.

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Learning online

With more than 12,500 of its 17,000 students studying via the Internet, UNE is at the forefront of online learning. UNE students, who have access to 600 subjects online, are finding that Internet learning is a whole new experience that offers greater flexibility for study and a new way of working and communicating with supervisors and fellow students. All students at UNE are provided with internet access and email accounts.

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Learning on campus

The majority of first-year, on-campus students choose to live in on campus residences, within easy walking distance of lectures and tutorials. In addition to providing food and lodgings, the colleges offer organised social activities as well as academic and pastoral support networks. The University prides itself that students from more than 50 nations study on-campus, providing a cosmopolitan atmosphere. The campus is well equipped with its own child-care, medical facilities, a post office, credit union, shops and restaurant, as well as the full range of sporting facilities. A regular bus service links the campus to town.

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Research excellence

UNE is internationally recognised as one of the great teaching and research universities. The university undertakes fundamental and applied research in many disciplines. Its scholars and scientists have established international reputations through their contributions in areas such as rural science, agricultural economics, educational administration, linguistics and archaeology. Collaborative research with other institutions includes projects with the CSIRO and the high profile Cooperative Research Centres. Through its research UNE assists in the economic, social and cultural advancement of Australia and in the advanced training of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

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