2020 RMIT Statistics at a glance

Key statistics 2020

  • 1887 Year founded and 1992 year established as a university
  • 96,125 Student enrolments (80% HE; 15% VE)
  • 18,642 HE and 4,480 VE program completions
  • 63% Research Income from industry and other sources
  • 4,072 peer-reviewed research outputs
  • 39.4% in top 25% most-cited research publications
  • 3rd ranked globally in THE Impact Rankings
  • 206th globally in QS World University Rankings (2022)
  • 20% International Onshore; 19% International Offshore
  • 5th ranked in Australia in Student Global Mobility
  • 9,150 Staff including casual (headcount)
  • $1,459m Total revenue; $4,052m Total assets
  • 465k total graduates (alumni) living in 149 countries
  • 120% More Open Educational Resources at RMIT Library

Student Enrolments HE and VE 5-year Snapshot (headcount)

 

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Higher Education

10,875

13,837

26,306

31,604

39,301

53,350

62,138

77,015

Vocational Education

17,293

16,481

16,804

23,911

22,357

20,554

15,179

14,558

Total

28,168

30,318

43,110

55,515

61,658

73,904

77,317

91,573

Student Enrolment by Sector/Entity (headcount)

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Higher Education (HE)

64,182

68,097

71,903

75,361

77,015

Vocational Education (VE)

14,573

14,783

14,936

15,750

14,558

Foundation Studies (FS)

1,292

1,267

1,387

1,344

1,119

Open Universities Australia (OUA)

4,235

3,296

2,847

2,459

2,180

ELICOS

3,023

2,888

2,515

2,281

1,253

Total RMIT

87,305

90,331

93,588

97,193

96,125

Student Load (EFTSL/EFTS)

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Higher Education

47,336

49,408

51,701

54,004

52,491

Vocational Education

9,419

9,773

9,427

9,999

9,064

Foundation Studies

1,479

966

1,008

970

793

Open Universities Australia

1,348

917

782

686

578

ELICOS

468

456

396

364

214

Total RMIT

60,049

61,520

63,314

66,022

63,140

Note: EFTS as Equivalent Full Time Student is a VE measurement of a standard load based on SCH/720. SCH - Student Contact Hours

Fee type

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

HE Domestic

35,148

37,409

39,141

40,202

42,652

HE International Onshore

12,590

14,722

16,830

18,901

16,884

HE International Offshore

10,352

9,845

9,262

8,526

8,134

HE Vietnam

6,092

6,121

6,670

7,732

9,345

VE Domestic

13,378

13,270

13,365

13,857

13,074

VE International Onshore

1,090

1,309

1,431

1,797

1,417

VE International Offshore

105

204

140

96

67

Attendance Type/Mode

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Full-time

56,382

58,257

60,423

59,788

61,324

Part-time

21,015

21,088

22,059

26,294

23,665

Distance/Online

1,358

3,535

4,357

5,029

6,584

College/Location, 2020

 

Onshore

Offshore

Total

STEM College

22,742

2,680

25,422

College of Design and Social Context

19,319

3,282

22,601

College of Business and Law

17,175

10,602

27,777

College of Vocational Education

14,491

67

14,558

Campus, 2020

 

HE

VE

Total

City

43,760

13,622

57,382

Bundoora

1,977

246

2,223

Brunswick

7,504

458

7,962

Off-campus

6,281

165

6,446

Vietnam

9,359

N/A

9,359

Other Offshore

8,134

67

8,201

Level of Education

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

HE Doctorate by Research

 1,952

 2,035

 2,165

 2,237

 2,249

HE Master's by Research

 247

 220

 212

 222

 232

HE Master's by Coursework

 9,187

 10,257

 11,238

 12,478

 12,175

HE Other Postgraduate

 1,430

 2,227

 2,836

 3,355

 5,026

HE Bachelor

 44,975

 46,670

 48,736

 50,399

 51,202

HE Sub-Degree

 5,354

 5,262

 4,947

 5,031

 4,788

HE Other Undergraduate

 120

 306

 310

 237

 228

HE Enabling Courses

 14

 46

 26

 30

 39

HE Non-award Courses

 903

 1,074

 1,433

 1,372

 1,076

VE Diploma and Advance Diploma (AQF 5-6)

7,730

8,316

8,212

8,221

8,046

VE Certificates III and IV (AQF 3-4)

5,265

4,900

4,713

5,235

4,767

VE Certificates I and II (AQF 1-2)

333

318

332

301

157

VE VCE/VCAL

534

615

569

547

476

VE Other

711

634

1,110

1,446

1,112

Broad Discipline Group, 2020 (EFTSL/EFTS)

 

HE

VE

Total

Agriculture, Environmental and

341

61

402

Architecture and Building

3,276

1,247

4,523

Creative Arts

58

511

570

Education

13,398

1,378

14,776

Engineering and Related Technologies

7,165

1,144

8,308

Health

1,023

111

1,134

Information Technology

5,001

290

5,291

Management and Commerce

8,195

1,099

9,294

Natural and Physical Sciences

4,290

411

4,700

Society and Culture

7,262

967

8,229

Related Studies

2,482

941

3,422

Fee Type, 2020 (EFTSL/EFTS)

 

HE

VE

Total

Government Supported

50%

87%

56%

Australian Fee Paying

6%

2%

5%

International

44%

11%

39%

Level of Education, 2020 (EFTSL/EFTS)

 

HE/VE

HE Doctorate by Research

 1,510

HE Master's by Research

 125

HE Master's by Coursework

 7,709

HE Other Postgraduate

 1,800

HE Bachelor

 37,792

HE Sub-Degree

 3,159

HE Other Undergraduate

 51

HE Enabling Courses

 9

HE Non-award Courses

 336

VE Diploma and Advance Diploma (AQF 5-6)

 4,151

VE Certificates III and IV (AQF 3-4)

 3,529

VE Certificates I and II (AQF 1-2)

 85

VE VCE/VCAL

 251

VE Other

 142

Gender

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Female

35,904

37,605

39,596

41,450

41,981

Male

41,196

43,431

45,365

47,422

47,156

Unspecified

5

59

91

139

170

Home Country/Region, 2020

 

HE

VE

Total

Australia - Victoria

36,561

12,117

48,678

Australia - Interstate

4,618

481

5,099

South East Asia

17,439

267

17,706

North East Asia

9,983

704

10,687

Southern / Central Asia

4,167

285

4,452

Middle East

868

46

914

Europe

395

35

430

Americas

347

45

392

Africa

303

30

333

Oceania

153

6

159

Antarctica

3

1

4

Not available

28

6

34

All Students, 2020

 

HE

VE

Total

% Female

48%

43%

47%

% Domestic by citizenship-residency status

55%

90%

61%

% International Onshore by citizenship-residency status

22%

10%

20%

% International Offshore by citizenship-residency status

23%

0%

19%

Age Group, 2020

 

HE

VE

Total

% Age Group of Young People 15 to 19 Years

26%

27%

26%

% Age Group 20 to 24 Years

47%

37%

45%

% Age Group for Mature Students 25 to 44 Years

25%

28%

25%

% Age Group for Mature Students 45 and over

3%

8%

4%

Domestic Students, 2020

 

HE

VE

Total

% School Leavers

46%

7%

27%

% VE Student Admissions to Higher Education

14%

N/A

14%

% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

1%

1%

1%

% Non-English Speaking Background

6%

12%

8%

% Rural Remote

9%

10%

9%

% Low Socio-Economic Status

14%

18%

15%

% Disability

10%

9%

10%

Note: Only undergraduate for HE

Completions 5-year Snapshot

 

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Higher Education

1,603

4,024

5,656

6,933

7,780

13,762

16,432

18,642

Vocational Education

1,065

1,229

2,589

3,950

5,820

6,497

5,659

4,480

Total

2,668

5,253

8,245

10,883

13,600

20,259

22,091

23,122

Program Completions

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Doctorate by Research

246

305

260

326

334

Master's by Research

34

37

36

31

21

Master's by Coursework

2,875

3,057

3,407

3,684

3,542

Other Postgraduate

653

961

1,318

1,517

1,954

Bachelor

11,175

11,642

12,001

12,063

11,284

Associate Degree

972

1,042

1,051

1,018

983

Other Undergraduate

776

755

664

774

524

Diploma and Advance Diploma (AQF 5-6)

3,031

3,078

2,930

2,926

2,072

Certificates III and IV (AQF 3-4)

2,195

1,880

1,668

1,712

1,441

Certificates I and II (AQF 1-2)

204

156

136

182

49

Other

611

605

875

1,200

918

Graduate Outcomes

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Full-time Employment

70%

72%

75%

75%

70%

Part-time Employment

28%

28%

27%

27%

30%

Further Full-time Study

20%

17%

15%

14%

14%

Enterprise Formation

7%

6%

6%

6%

5%

Employed after Training

69%

68%

70%

64%

60%

Further Study

52%

53%

46%

55%

55%

Enterprise Formation

9%

7%

7%

8%

8%

Note: Graduate Outcome categories are not mutually exclusive.

RMIT Graduate Alumni

Australia

349,055

Americas

1,446

Asia - Central and South Asia

2,578

Asia - East Asia

23,671

Asia - South East Asia

82,240

Europe

3,102

Middle East and Africa

1,743

New Zealand and Pacific Islands

1,058

Total

464,893

Research

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Number of Peer-reviewed Research Outputs

3,535

3,437

3,673

3,912

4,072

International Collaboration

49.3%

52.0%

54.9%

55.4%

56.9%

Field-Weighted Citation Impact

1.6

1.7

1.9

1.6

1.5

Publications in Top 25% most-cited in the World

37.1%

37.5%

38.7%

39.4%

39.4%

Research Income

$41.2m

$52.7m

$54.1m

$66.4m

$74.2m

% Research Income from Australian Competitive Grants

37.3%

40.7%

40.5%

31.7%

37.5%

% Research Income from Industry and Other Sources (Category 2-4)

71.1%

62.3%

62.9%

68.3%

62.5%

Higher Degree by Research Completions

280

342

296

357

355

Provisional Patent Applications

15

7

12

14

12

HDR Industry Engagement

   

12

22

44

Global Activity

 

2018

2019

2020

International Institutional MOUs

202

154

144

Global Education Delivery Partners

13 13 12

Programs delivered through Global Education Delivery Partners

33 33 29

Student Exchange Agreements

246

272

189

Credit Agreements and Arrangements

840

896

818

RMIT International Industry Experience and Research Program

187

197

23

Collaborative Research Training Agreements

22

34

34

Number of Countries with Funded Research Projects

30

26

25

Number of Birth Countries for Student Population

214

197

199

Number of Birth Countries for Staff Population

97

100

103

International travels

3988

3827

76

Number of Languages Spoken by Student Population

184

185

186

International Onshore Students (EFTSL)

21%

23%

22%

International Offshore Students (EFTSL)

18%

18%

17%

 

2017

2019

 

Outbound Student Mobility (Australian Universities Rank)

5th

5th

 

QS World University Rankings

 

2020

2021

2022

Overall Rank

238

223

206

Academic Reputation

222

220

227

Employer Reputation

117

130

122

Citations per faculty

444

381

268

International Faculty

39

33

34

International Students

95

89

83

QS World University Rankings by Sub-discipline (RMIT)

 

2019

2020

2021

Accounting and Finance

101-150

101-150

101-150

Architecture / Built Environment

22

25

28=

Art and Design

12

11

15=

Communication and Media Studies

37

44

41

Computer Science and Information Systems

101-150

101-150

141=

Development Studies

51-100

 

51-100

Education

51-100

51-100

101-150

Engineering - Civil and Structural

51-100

51-100

51-100

Engineering - Electrical and Electronic

51-100

101-150

127=

Engineering - Mechanical, Aerospace and Manufacturing

101-150

101-150

134

Engineering - Mineral and Mining

   

51-60

Geography

101-150

101-150

101-150

Library and Information Management

25

49

40=

Materials Science

   

101-150

THE Impact Rankings (RMIT)

 

2019

2020

2021

Overall rank

82

10

3

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

13

1

2

SDG 10: Partnership for the goals

53

15=

3

SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

67

5=

5

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG RMIT Measure 2018 2019 2020
1 No Poverty Number of Students receiving scholarship and assistance packages 4,744 4,822 4,843
2 Zero Hunger Number of Active Research Projects Contributing to the SDG2 43 50 76
3 Good Health and Well-being Number of Active Research Projects Contributing to the SDG3 124 142 157
4 Quality Education Students Participating in Global Leadership Programmes
HE Graduates satisfaction (%)
VE Graduates satisfaction (%)
4,256


79.3%
85.3%
5,236


79.9%
83.9%
7,190


81.9%
83.1%
5 Gender Equality Females Commencing a First Degree
Women in Leadership Roles
46.8%
53.0%
45.7%
54.0%
45.7%
55.9%
6 Clean Water and Sanitation Potable Water consumption (kL)
Potable Water consumption per student (kL/EFTSL)
232,016
4.9
220,310
4.1
136,265
2.7
7 Affordable and Clean Energy End-Use Energy Consumption (GJ)
Renewable energy consumed (generated and purchased) (%)
304,827
0.3%
298,515
9.8%
233,742
8.6%
8 Decent Work and Economic Growth HE Graduates in Employment
VE Graduates in Employment
75.4%
70.1%
74.7%
64.2%
69.6%
60.1%
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Research Commercialisation - invention disclosures Postgraduate research completions 44 296 47 357 45 355
10 Reduced Inequalities First Generation Students Starting a First Degree
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff (headcount)
61.6%
31
61.4%
34
57.4%
39
% of commencing students from Low socio-economic backgrounds (access to HE) 13.5% 13.9% 12.5%
% of commencing students from Low socio-economic backgrounds (access to VE) 18.4% 18.3% 17.8%
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities Number of Active Research Projects Contributing to the SDG11 68 82 101
12 Responsible Consumption and Production Operational Waste Recycled (%)
Construction and Demolition Waste Recycled (%)
22.4%
NA
24.0%
NA
23.1%
90.3%
13 Climate Action Greenhouse gas emissions (tCO2-e)
Greenhouse gas emissions reduction since 2007 (%)
42,555
-45.5%
40,540
-48.1%
29,853
-62.0%
14 Life Below Water Number of Active Research Projects Contributing to the SDG14 28 29 47
15 Life On Land Number of Active Research Projects Contributing to the SDG15 57 62 89
16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Number of Active Research Projects Contributing to the SDG16 64 64 91
17 Partnership for the Goals Active Research projects in partnership with developing countries
International co-authored publications (co-authored from developing countries)
17
34.2%
23
36.4%
32
37.7%

Staff FTE

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

HE Academic

1,948

2,069

2,187

2,416

2,180

VE Education

678

611

593

753

704

Professional

2,401

2,593

2,765

3,807

3,227

All

5,027

5,273

5,545

6,976

6,111

Staff FTE (Australia), 2020

 

Female

Male

Other

Total

Academic Higher Education

       

Teaching and Research

470.0

706.8

-

1,176.8

Research only

251.8

251.1

-

502.9

Casual

242.9

256.5

1.2

500.7

Vocational Education

       

Teachers

238.9

277.1

-

515.9

Casual

106.2

82.0

-

188.3

Professional

       

Executive and College / School Support

527.9

305.6

3.0

836.6

Central Support

1,424.0

832.1

1.0

2,257.1

Casual

77.4

55.4

0.5

133.3

Staff FTE (Vietnam), 2020

 

Female

Male

Other

Total

HE Academic

50.2

92.9

-

143.1

English Teaching

16.2

51.0

-

67.2

Industry Fellow

-

0.8

-

0.8

Professional

288.4

142.0

-

430.4

Total

354.8

286.7

-

641.5

Staff Profile

 

2017

2018

2019

2020

Academic Staff born outside Australia

46%

44%

43%

41%

HE Academic Staff holding PhDs

80%

80%

84%

84%

Building and space: campus, 2020

 

Building

Space m2

UFA m2

GFA m2

GFA %

City

71

80,400

219,377

358,064

64%

Bundoora

33

556,648

79,405

111,184

20%

Brunswick

6

38,949

15,383

21,369

4%

Other sites

12

74,110

3,902

5,577

1%

Barcelona

1

0

576

641

0.1%

Saigon South

12

124,314

31,433

47,460

9%

Saigon North

6

4,983

1,299

1,637

0.3%

Danang City

1

0

543

945

0.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanoi

1

0

5,926

9,264

1.7%

Total

143

879,404

357,844

556,141

 

Building and space: Amount of Floor Area (m2) per EFTSL, 2020

 

UFA m2

GFA m2

Onshore

6.1

9.6

Offshore (Vietnam)

7.5

11.4

Finance

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Total Revenue

 $1,226m

 $1,307m

 $1,433m

 $1,519m

 $1,459m

Total Assets

 $3,025m

 $3,329m

 $3,394m

 $3,661m

 $4,052m

Library

 

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Spotlight Series Attendees

1,217

Open Educational Resources ($ savings for students)

$80k

$175k

 

Micro-credential badges issued

11,507

19,034

Reading lists views

625,880

308,017

Learning Lab views

1,235,313

1,210,455

1,331,824

Skills for Higher Degree Research Candidates views

6,558

9,565

14,930

 

eJournal usage

4,923,951

6,048,920

3,624,352

Searches in Databases

1,077,659

1,157,195

1,195,366

1,178,174

1,733,882

Streaming Media Viewed

566,731

687,175

829,975

1,094,404

876,540

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.