The sandstone universities are an informally defined group comprising Australia's oldest tertiary education institutions. Most were founded in the colonial era, the exceptions being the University of Queensland (1909) and University of Western Australia (1911).
All the universities in the group have buildings constructed primarily of sandstone. Membership of the group is based on age; some universities, such as the private Bond University, have sandstone-plated buildings but are not considered sandstone universities. Additionally, Griffith University will operate out of the heritage-listed Treasury Building in Brisbane from 2027. However, the university was established in 1971, and thus, is regarded as a verdant university.
The label "sandstone university" is not completely synonymous with membership of the Group of Eight, which includes the Australian National University, Monash University and the University of New South Wales, but not the University of Tasmania. Nevertheless, the connotations (prestige, a focus on research and curricula that have a strong emphasis on theory rather than practice) are much the same for the two groups. Australian Government survey data of university graduates has indicated in the past that students who enter the sandstone universities come from higher-income families, and that graduates largely have higher paid occupations or positions of influence, prompting claims of elitism and social division.Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs (1998), The Characteristics and Performance of Higher Education Institutions, Canberra: Higher Education Division, Department of Education, Employment and Youth AffairsDepartment of Education Training and Youth Affairs (1999), Completions, Undergraduate academic outcomes for the 1992 commencing students, Melbourne: DETYA.
Constituent institutions Sandstone universities can be taken to be either universities founded before World War I, or the oldest university in their respective state; either definition gives the same set of universities.
UniversityLocationEstablishedUndergraduates PostgraduatesEndowmentAcademic staffColoursUniversity of AdelaideAdelaide, South Australia1874$929 million University of MelbourneMelbourne, Victoria1853$1.335 billion University of QueenslandBrisbane, Queensland1909$224.3 million University of SydneySydney, New South Wales1850$2.5 billion University of TasmaniaHobart, Tasmania1890$561 million University of Western AustraliaPerth, Western Australia1911$709 million
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Other Australian university groups
Red brick universities The University of New South Wales, Monash University and the Australian National University have been termed 'red brick' universities. They are similar to the red brick universities in the UK, both groups coming after the ancient universities and sandstone universities.
Verdant (gumtree) universities
Universities founded in the 1960s and 1970s have been known informally as "verdant" or "gumtree" universities. These universities were established in their state capitals, often next to native bush land (now nature reserves), and have lush vegetative campuses. They are predominantly the second or third established university in their state.The only exception is Macquarie, which is the third university is Sydney, but the fourth university in New South Wales. It follows the University of Sydney (1850), University of New South Wales (1949) and University of New England (1954).
See also List of oldest universities in continuous operation Ancient universities, oldest universities in Great Britain and Ireland Ancient universities of Scotland, oldest universities in Scotland Colonial colleges, oldest universities in the United States of America Imperial Universities, oldest universities founded during the Empire of Japan
References
Bibliography Walden, Scott & Douglas South Australia - Three Universities 2003 Australian Colonial Period - 1788-1901