If you are comparing universities in Sydney and New South Wales, the most useful public measure of how students rate their time on campus comes from the QILT Student Experience Survey. The 2025 results are now published, and they give a point-in-time snapshot of how undergraduates rated five areas: teaching quality and engagement, learning resources, skills development, student support and services, and peer engagement. These are survey results, not a census, so each figure carries a confidence interval that tells you how much the estimate could vary if the same survey were repeated with a different sample.
For NSW universities, the 2025 data shows a wide spread across these measures. The University of Notre Dame Australia is not included in the approved data set for this article, so the figures below cover the NSW institutions for which 2025 results are available.
What the 2025 QILT Scores Mean for NSW Universities
The Student Experience Survey asks current undergraduates to rate their experience across five focus areas. Each score is expressed as a percentage of positive ratings, and the published tables include a 90% confidence interval for every estimate. That interval is important: a score of 80.4 with an interval of 79.8 to 81.0 tells you the true value is likely to fall within that range, not that the university achieved exactly 80.4 in some absolute sense.
For the NSW universities in the approved data, the overall educational experience scores for 2025 sit at different points across the scale. Macquarie University recorded an overall educational experience score of 73.9, with a 90% confidence interval of 73.3 to 74.4. The University of New South Wales is not in the approved data set for this article, so it is not discussed here. Charles Sturt University recorded 79.8, with an interval of 78.9 to 80.6. Australian Catholic University recorded 80.4, with an interval of 79.8 to 81.0. The University of Sydney is also not in the approved data set, so it is not discussed here.
These figures are useful for comparing broad patterns across institutions, but they are not a ranking. The QILT data is designed to show how students at each institution responded to the survey in a given year, not to declare one university better than another. A difference of a few points may fall within the confidence intervals, which means the two estimates could overlap and the apparent gap might not be statistically meaningful.
Breaking Down the Five Focus Areas
Each focus area tells you something different about the student experience. Teaching quality and engagement measures how students rate the teaching they receive and how engaged they feel in their learning. Learning resources covers access to materials, facilities, and technology. Skills development looks at whether students believe they are gaining the skills they need for their future. Student support and services measures the help students receive outside the classroom. Peer engagement captures how students rate their connections with other students.
For Australian Catholic University, the 2025 results show teaching quality and engagement at 81.4, with an interval of 80.7 to 81.9. Learning resources came in at 85.7, with an interval of 85.1 to 86.3. Skills development was 84.5, with an interval of 83.9 to 85.1. Student support and services was 73.6, with an interval of 72.8 to 74.5. Peer engagement was 64.8, with an interval of 64.0 to 65.5.
Charles Sturt University recorded teaching quality and engagement at 80.3, with an interval of 79.4 to 81.1. Learning resources was 84.7, with an interval of 83.6 to 85.7. Skills development was 80.2, with an interval of 79.4 to 81.1. Student support and services was 74.0, with an interval of 72.7 to 75.2. Peer engagement was 38.4, with an interval of 37.4 to 39.5.
Macquarie University recorded teaching quality and engagement at 78.8, with an interval of 78.2 to 79.3. Learning resources was 85.3, with an interval of 84.8 to 85.8. Skills development was 79.5, with an interval of 78.9 to 80.1. Student support and services was 66.7, with an interval of 65.9 to 67.5. Peer engagement was 63.2, with an interval of 62.6 to 63.9.
These five measures are not weighted into a single score in the public QILT tables. Each one stands on its own, and the way you interpret them depends on what matters to you. If you are a student who values strong connections with peers, peer engagement will carry more weight in your decision. If you are more concerned with access to facilities and materials, learning resources will be the measure you look at first.
How to Verify the Data Yourself
The QILT data is published on the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website, and the results can also be explored through the ComparED tool. Both are official public sources, and they allow you to look up specific institutions and compare them across the survey measures.
When you look at the data, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, check the survey year. The 2025 results are the most recent available, but they reflect the responses of students who were enrolled during that period. Second, look at the confidence intervals, not just the point estimates. A score of 80.4 with a wide interval is less precise than a score of 80.4 with a narrow interval. Third, check the population. The figures in this article are for undergraduates from universities, and the survey results for postgraduate students or for specific campuses may differ.
The ComparED tool is particularly useful if you want to compare institutions side by side. It lets you filter by state, by institution type, and by the specific measure you are interested in. The help section on the ComparED website explains how the data is collected and how to interpret the confidence intervals, which is worth reading before you draw conclusions from the numbers.
What the Scores Do Not Tell You
The Student Experience Survey is a valuable tool, but it has limits. It measures how students rated their experience in a specific year, not how the university will perform in the future. It does not measure academic quality directly, nor does it capture employment outcomes after graduation. Those are covered by separate QILT surveys, including the Graduate Outcomes Survey and the Employer Satisfaction Survey.
The survey also does not tell you about the experience of a specific individual. A university with a high overall score may still have departments or courses where students are less satisfied. A university with a lower score may have a particular program that is highly regarded. The data is a starting point for your research, not a final verdict.
Another limitation is that the scores are based on survey responses, and response rates vary by institution. A low response rate can make the results less representative of the full student population. The QILT data processing and procedures page explains how the survey is administered and how the results are weighted, which gives you more context for interpreting the numbers.
How to Use These Scores in Your Decision
If you are choosing between universities in Sydney and NSW, the student experience scores are one input among many. Start by identifying which of the five focus areas matter most to you. Then look at the scores for the institutions you are considering, paying attention to the confidence intervals rather than just the point estimates.
Next, look at the broader picture. The student experience survey is one of several QILT surveys. The Graduate Outcomes Survey tells you about employment and further study after graduation. The Employer Satisfaction Survey tells you how employers rate the graduates they hire. Together, these surveys give you a more complete view of what a university offers.
You should also consider factors that the surveys do not measure. Location, campus culture, course structure, and cost all play a role in your decision. The student experience scores can help you compare how students feel about their time at each institution, but they cannot tell you which university is the right fit for your specific goals and circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the QILT Student Experience Survey?
The QILT Student Experience Survey is a national survey of current higher education students in Australia. It asks students to rate their experience across five focus areas: teaching quality and engagement, learning resources, skills development, student support and services, and peer engagement. The results are published annually on the QILT website and can be explored through the ComparED tool.
Are these scores a ranking of universities?
No. The QILT data is published as survey results for individual institutions, not as a ranked list. Each score is an estimate based on survey responses, and the confidence intervals show the range within which the true value is likely to fall. Comparing two institutions requires looking at the intervals, not just the point estimates.
What does the confidence interval mean?
The confidence interval is a range around the point estimate. A 90% confidence interval means that if the survey were repeated many times with different samples, the true value would fall within that range in 90% of cases. A narrow interval indicates a more precise estimate, while a wide interval indicates more uncertainty.
How often is the survey conducted?
The Student Experience Survey is conducted annually. The 2025 results are the most recent available, and they reflect the responses of students enrolled during the 2025 survey period. Each year's results are published separately, so you should always check the survey year when comparing data.
Can I compare NSW universities with universities in other states?
Yes. The QILT data covers universities across Australia, and the ComparED tool allows you to compare institutions from different states. The survey methodology is consistent across the country, so the results are directly comparable, provided you are looking at the same survey year and the same student population.
Where can I find the official data?
The official data is published on the QILT website and can be explored through the ComparED tool. Both are managed by the Australian Government and provide the most authoritative source for student experience data. The QILT website also includes information on data processing and procedures, which explains how the survey is administered and how the results are calculated.