Image: Adelaide University
New Australian institution, formed through a merger, will start taking students in 2026
South Australia’s new Adelaide University, a merger between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, has been formally launched.
The new university is due to begin taking students at the start of 2026.
In a statement on 15 July, the joint vice-chancellors of the new university—Peter Høj (pictured, left), current head of the University of Adelaide, and David Lloyd (pictured, right), head of the University of South Australia—said it was “a momentous step”.
They pledged that all the “major disciplines” currently available would continue to be supported.
A new site for Adelaide University was also launched, with information for prospective students. It lists five key research themes: creative and cultural; defence and national security; food, agriculture and wine; personal and societal health; and sustainable green transition.
The university will aim to be ranked in the world’s 100 top research universities and to be “number one in Australia for industry research income and engagement”.
The University of Adelaide is already in the elite Group of Eight research universities, with Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson confirming that Adelaide University will be a member. “The merger…will create quality at the scale needed,” she said.
Education minister Jason Clare said the new institution would be “a powerhouse of research and a beacon for both domestic and international students”.
Merger concerns
The National Tertiary Education Union has raised questions about the pressure that merger planning is putting on workers at the universities.
In an April bulletin, the union urged University of Adelaide staff to seek help with their workloads.
When the bill to create the merger was introduced to South Australia’s parliament in October 2023, Greens MP Tammy Franks opposed it, saying it was “rushed”.
She said the two universities had different cultures and that the union’s research had found that a large number of staff did not have confidence in management decision-making around the merger.
The merger will affect around 3,000 staff at the two universities.
In their statement on 15 July, the vice-chancellors said that “the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide will continue to serve their communities through 2024 and 2025 and maintain necessary functions into 2026 to support the transition”.