History, Affiliations and Rankings
The University of New England has a rich and varied history that reflects its founders' dedication, ingenuity, and resourcefulness, as well as Maine and New England's history in Australia. It's a fascinating narrative that begins in 1939 on the banks of the Saco River when the Franciscan brothers founded the College Seraphique, a high school and junior college for boys of Quebecois descent. St. Francis College, a four-year liberal arts college, was established in 1952. The College of Osteopathic Medicine was founded on the St. Francis campus, and the two institutions merged to form the University of New England in 1978. It was the first Australian university founded on the outskirts of a state capital city. The University of New England has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, which aims to establish and maintain high-quality education throughout the doctoral level. Furthermore, the university is also affiliated with the Regional Universities Network. The University of New England ranks between #801-1000 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and has been ranked #285 in National Universities by the US News 2023.
Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses
The University of New England campuses are situated at numerous sites in Armidale. The main campus of the university is situated in northern central New South Wales in Armidale city, it was the first Australian university founded on the outskirts of a state capital city that has more than 22,000 students pursuing higher studies. It has an area of about 74 hectares. The university has three distinct campuses in Biddeford and Portland, Maine, and Tangier, Morocco, and five distinct Maine colleges — the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Westbrook College of Health Professions, College of Dental Medicine, and the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. The campus has various buildings comprising the old homestead, 'Booloominbah'. The campus also has various facilities like a sports and fitness centre, restaurants and cafes, shops, childcare, a post office, and banking services The Newling campus of the university has the Newling Centre, which is the Cultural centre and buildings associated with the former Armidale College of Advanced Education. The University of New England provides more than 200 courses with options to study online or on campus. The university provides education to students by managing three departments that contain nine multi-disciplinary schools.
Accomplishments and Alumni
Since the University of New England’s establishment, it has had a long road of History and accomplishments. In 1996, UNE was presented with yet another chance for expansion. Westbrook College in Portland, founded in 1831 as Westbrook Seminary, was having financial and enrollment problems comparable to St. Francis in the 1970s. Westbrook College amalgamated with UNE, bringing a long history and a committed alumni group with it. The University has won various awards for student satisfaction and teaching excellence and the University has received a 5-star rating for overall student experience from The Good Universities Guide 13 times consecutively. The University has won numerous awards for student satisfaction and teaching excellence. The University has a distinguished reputation for teaching, training, and research excellence among the universities in Australia. The University of New England has also had a long list of notable alumni like Douglas Daft, AC, former global CEO of Coca-Cola, Canning Fok Kin-ning, group managing director of Hutchison Whampoa, Chairman of Hongkong Electric Holdings, and many others.
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
The University of New England has been dedicated to excellence in training and research and offering equality of opportunity to each one. University has more than 22,000 student enrolments out of which about 14,000 are undergraduates and 6,000 are postgraduates with more than 550 staff members on its premises. Of the total student enrolments, more than 1100 students are international students combined on all its campuses. Some of the leading recruiters on campus are CVS Pharmacy, ClearView Healthcare Partners, Kineticos, and many others.
