A reputation for excellence
The University of New England, located in New South Wales, was the first Australian university established outside a capital city. With a history extending back to the 1920s, UNE has 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.

Students from more than 50 nations study on-campus, providing a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Most live in residential colleges. The campus is well equipped with its own child-care, medical and dental facilities, a post office, credit union, shops and restaurant, as well as a gymnasium and heated swimming pool. A regular bus service links the campus to town.

The university offers both on-campus and distance learning courses. 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.

The University is located in Armidale, positioned roughly half-way between Sydney and Brisbane. It is ideally placed between the metropolitan capitals. With an easy-going and unpolluted lifestyle, it is also the ideal place to live while you study.
Armidale is also well served in education, not only by the University but also at secondary level, with excellent State high schools as well as several prominent private schools. Transport links to Armidale are excellent, with two airlines operating daily flights from Sydney and another from Brisbane, as well as connecting and charter flights available to other centres, including the coast. The rail line provides fast train connections to Sydney; and several major bus companies operate regular services from Armidale to Sydney and Brisbane. The New England Highway, National Route No 1, is an excellent roadway providing a good link for motorists between Brisbane and Sydney.

History

The University of New England has undergone two major changes since 1989. The University of New England Act, 1989, created a network University consisting of: (i) a campus at Armidale, incorporating the former University of New England and the former Armidale College of Advanced Education; and (ii) a campus at Lismore, incorporating the former Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education. The following year the Orange Agricultural College joined the network University. The network also included the UNE-Coffs Harbour Centre, which provided courses from within academic departments of the Armidale and Lismore campuses.

The University of New England was originally formed in 1938 as the New England University College, a College of the University of Sydney. It became fully independent in 1954.
The University of New England has, since 1989, included the former Armidale College of Advanced Education, which was amalgamated with the Armidale campus at the time of the creation of the network University. This process of amalgamation was complete by the time of the new legislation in 1993, and the dismantling of the network University had no effect on its status.

The College of Advanced Education began life in 1928 as the Armidale Teachers College and became the Armidale College of Advanced Education in 1974, prior to amalgamation with the Armidale campus of the University of New England in 1989.
A Spirit of True Learning tells the story of the University of New England from its birth in 1938 as New England University College (NEUC) as an affiliate college of Sydney University through to its development of a distinctive academic tradition and autonomy in 1954 and finally its vision for the future as UNE celebrates 50 years of excellence.

Achivement

Founded in 1926, DETC promotes sound educational standards and ethical business practices in distance education. Its Accrediting Commission was established in 1955 to identify and accredit distance education and training institutions that meet the high academic and business standards required.

DETC accreditation guarantees that The University of New England provides the quality of education it claims to offer, that it operates on a sound financial basis, offers approved programs of study, follows recruitment and admissions policies that meet set standards and has qualified teaching staff, as well as adequate equipment and facilities.

The DETC Accrediting Commission is listed by the US Department of Education as a nationally recognised accrediting agency and is a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).