Rankings and fees... what is the relationship?     

After plotting the universities, we discovered some very interesting findings (Chart 1). There is a clear correlation between rankings and fees. This is probably not a surprise to most but it’s the first time that there is clear evidence of this correlation. In general, it can be said that universities with a higher ranking usually set a higher tuition fee. However, there are some exceptions. 

Chart 1. Relationship between average international tuition fees and rankings (2015)  

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  Correlation and exceptions     

Looking at Chart 1 and focusing on the universities that set their annual international tuition fees around $30,000, there are four universities that stand out. 

Australian National University (ANU) and The University of Queensland (UQ) are two Group of Eight universities that both have high international university rankings and have also set their fees at the higher end of the scale compared to many of the other universities. These two universities are both ranked within the top 50 universities in the QS ranking (Chart 2).

Within that range, you also have universities such as Macquarie University and Curtin University who set similar fees as ANU and UQ however, they are ranked lower at #229 and #284. 

 Chart 2. Relationship between average international tuition fees and rankings (2015)  

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  In some cases it's not only the rankings   

It could be said that universities such as Macquarie University and Curtin University are considering other factors, not rankings alone, when deciding where to set their fees. This is a good lesson for some universities. Location, graduate outcomes and the student experience for example are most likely being considered as increasing the value of the overall study experience at the university.

Fee setting decisions are complex and complicated and the graph provides a very interesting view of where universities sit in the scale considering both rankings and annual tuition fees. Soon we will be able to provide you with the analysis for 2016 when the new QS Rankings are published. It will be interesting to see if there are some adjustments related to changes in rankings (Chart 3).

Chart 3. Relationship between average international tuition fees and rankings (2015)  

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  Obtain our complete analysis on fees     

Studymove recently released the 2016 “Comparative Analysis of International Tuition Fees in Australia” report which reviews more than 4,000 programs from all 39 universities. The report is 90 pages long and includes detailed information including the average cost of undergraduate, postgraduate and study abroad programs for various fields of study from all Australian universities.

We believe it is a really useful report for International Office Directors and Managers not only to compare their fees but to enable them to implement effective marketing and recruitment strategies to highlight their unique selling points

If you would like to obtain more information about this analysis or purchase the complete report please contact us.

How to purchase the 2016 report 

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