We're celebrating another year at number one, with the Australian College of the Arts once again recognised as Australia's leading provider of creative arts courses*, as calculated by undergraduate student feedback gathered in the 2025 Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) Student Experience Survey (SES).
QILT is a set of government-endorsed surveys that track how higher education students and graduates experience their studies, from commencement all the way through to employment outcomes. It's not just the ranking that's worth sharing, it's that every number behind it came straight from students describing their own experience.
This year, Collarts achieved exceptional results as voted by our undergraduate students, remaining the #1 comprehensive provider of creative arts courses across a range of categories for another year in a row. Here’s how we performed:
Australia’s #1 comprehensive provider of creative arts courses for Teaching Quality.*
Our top result this year came in at 91%, a figure that speaks to the strength of our teaching staff, how relevant our curriculum feels to students, and the quality of the relationships between students and faculty.
Australia’s #1 comprehensive provider of creative arts courses for Overall Educational Experience.*
We earned an impressive 86.7%, a reflection of how much value students place on their time studying with us and how satisfied they are with the institution as a whole.
Australia’s #1 comprehensive provider of creative arts courses for Student Support and Services.*
An 83.8% score puts us ahead of the field for everything from enrolment support to career development and ongoing learning support.
Against last year's results:
Teaching Quality & Engagement moved from 90.7% up to 91%
Skills Development grew from 87% to 87.7%
These improvements come from the values we build the whole college around, curiosity, mastery and connection, and from a genuine focus on students first, long standing industry relationships, and learning that's hands-on, rather than purely theoretical. Collarts was built to be more than a place to take a course.
We want students to leave not just ready for a career in the creative industries, but equipped to help shape what those industries become.
While QILT's SES captures the experience of students during their studies, its Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) picks up the story after graduation, asking former students to reflect on their course and their move into industry.
Collarts has again been ranked Australia’s #1 for overall graduate satisfaction.*
This year, we’ve achieved a score of 79.4%. It's a strong signal that what students get from a Collarts education holds up well beyond graduation day, as they move into creative careers with confidence.
Collarts CEO, Sam Jacob, shared this heartfelt message:
It’s one thing to pat yourselves on the back for things we think are important, but what really matters is feedback direct from our current students and graduates. This year’s results put Collarts at the top of comprehensive creative arts universities and colleges. We deliver on what matters – great teachers, small classes, industry-relevant units, state-of-the-art facilities and strong professional networks.
“Congratulations to everyone here that works hard to deliver exceptional experiences to students, and to our industry and festival friends who support their transition to paid work in their field. It’s one of our most powerful proof points: we can all be proud that students and graduates themselves rate Collarts so highly,” said Sam.
Results like these really showcase exactly what Collarts is: a community built around its educators, its students, and a genuine commitment to walking alongside every person who studies here. We're proud to be recognised as the country's leading creative arts course provider, and we're excited to continue working to provide our students with the best possible platform to kickstart their creative arts industry journeys.
*Source: 2025 QILT Student Experience Survey (SES). Compared to all participating comprehensive creative arts course providers in Australia, excluding specialist field providers.
**Source: 2025 QILT Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). Compared to all participating comprehensive creative arts course providers in Australia, excluding specialist field providers.