Adelaide University officially opened last week, marking the creation of Australia’s newest comprehensive research institution through the merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.
The new institution begins operations as a global top 100 university and a member of the Group of Eight, serving about 70,000 students across its combined campuses and programs.
Chancellor Pauline Carr said the opening represents a new approach to higher education delivery.
“Today is more than the creation of a new University – it is the beginning of a new promise,” Carr said. “We are creating a university that is agile, courageous and deeply connected to the communities we serve.”
The merger was first announced in 2023 following a joint feasibility assessment that began in January of that year. State Parliament passed enabling legislation in November 2023, with detailed transition planning beginning in January 2024.
Founding co-vice chancellors professor David Lloyd and professor Peter Høj AC said the institution is projected to contribute $4.7 billion a year to the Australian economy, with an additional $500 million a year expected to flow to South Australia’s economy by 2034.
“We open today as a comprehensive institution where excellence and equity go hand in hand in expanding access to education, and where research is partnered, impactful and relevant to the needs of today’s society,” Lloyd and Høj said.
The university became the first Australian institution to have provision for an Aboriginal name in its founding legislation, receiving the Kaurna name Tirkangkaku in July 2025, meaning Place of Learning.
“This reflects the University’s deep commitment to recognising and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges, culture, country and people in all that we do,” the co-vice chancellors said.
More than 400 degree programs launched in February 2025, with 56,000 students transferred from the foundation institutions in December 2025 under bespoke study plans.
Staff from both founding institutions worked for more than two years to integrate systems, curricula, research partnerships, student services, and campus operations.
“Our staff have shown remarkable dedication, resilience, creativity, and generosity through every stage of the transition to Adelaide University,” Lloyd and Høj said.
The institution received registration from the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency in May 2024 for the maximum period of seven years.
Professor Nicola Phillips will assume duties as the university’s first vice chancellor on 12 January. The institution will welcome its first full cohort of new students following South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre offers on 15 January.