Our role in the NSW higher education sector

NSW has 10 public universities with campuses in over 25 locations and over 90 private and not-for-profit providers.

The Department of Education:

• develops policy related to higher education in NSW.
• manages stakeholder relations with universities, including strategic engagement with the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee and its subcommittees, on behalf of NSW Government.
• supports legislative responsibilities relating to higher education, including the university governing bodies Ministerial appointment process.
• represents the interests of NSW universities and higher education providers in national forums.

We regularly engage with other government agencies, states and territories, and the Australian Government on policy and implementation issues.

University governance

The 10 NSW public universities and their governing bodies are formed under Acts of Parliament. These Acts cover the objects and functions of the universities and their responsibilities to the public.

The Acts also outline the powers and responsibilities of the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education in relation to the 10 NSW public universities, including making appointments to universities’ governing bodies, granting approval for certain land dealings, and tabling universities’ annual reports in Parliament.

These university Acts can be accessed via the following links:

• Charles Sturt University
• Macquarie University
• Southern Cross University
• University of New England
• University of Newcastle
• University of NSW
• University of Sydney
• University of Technology Sydney
• University of Wollongong
• Western Sydney University

Universities are largely funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.

Universities are governed by federal legislation under the Higher Education Support Act, and higher education providers are accredited and regulated by the Australian Government through the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.

Strategic engagement

The department leads the NSW Government’s Public Partnerships for Public Benefit: the NSW Higher Education Strategy 2025−29 (PDF 6.62 MB), working across the entire education sector and all parts of government.

The strategy guides NSW Government engagement with the higher education sector until 2029. The strategy was informed by extensive stakeholder consultation. 

The NSW Higher Education Strategy aims to: 

• Support current and future NSW skill and workforce needs 
• Build capabilities for students to navigate post-school and lifelong learning pathways 
• Improve equity outcomes in higher education
• Enable the use of shared assets, expertise and research for the public good. 

Each year of the strategy, the Department measures the progress of actions and outcomes and identifies new projects and programs that further the strategy’s vision.