The University of Notre Dame has topped the category of skills development and excelled in several others in a Federal Government assessment of universities.
Data released on 10 May as part of the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) program, revealed that the Notre Dame excelled in critical university indicators.
Notre Dame is the top university in the country for skills development at 90.7 per cent, well above the national average of 81.3 per cent.
It is in the top two universities nationally for overall quality of educational experience with an 88.5 per cent rating.
The QILT data showed Notre Dame achieved high ratings in the categories of student support, learner engagement and teaching quality.
The website also showed the university is one of the top universities in Australia for graduate employment, with a full-time graduate employment rate of 79.2 per cent, well above the national average of 69.7 per cent.
The median starting salary of Notre Dame graduates is $59,800, above the national average of $55,000.
The QILT website, run by the Department of Education and Training, enabled prospective students to compare higher education providers based on the results of surveys completed by current students and recent graduates.
Notre Dame Vice Chancellor Professor Celia Hammond said the results indicated that Notre Dame’s distinctive approach to education is highly regarded by students, graduates and employers.
“Further to the university’s objects, Notre Dame provides an excellent standard of both pastoral care and education for the professions,” Professor Hammond said.
“Students are at the heart of Notre Dame. We have always sought to educate the whole person, to provide an environment where students have the opportunity to develop the theoretical knowledge and the technical skills they need to pursue their chosen professions, yet also grow and flourish as individuals.
“We are delighted to see that this approach resonates with both our students and employers, as these QILT findings indicate.”
The results follow Notre Dame’s five-star ratings in six categories in the 2016 Good Universities Guide.