The University of Wollongong has been ranked 29th in the world in the 2019 Times Higher Education Young University Rankings.

UOW’s placement is up from last year’s ranking of 32nd and marks the eighth consecutive year the University has made the list of top young universities.

The University of Wollongong has risen in the latest set of QS World University Rankings, climbing six places to number 212 in the world and placing 11th in Australia.

Released in June, the 2020 QS World University Rankings showed UOW made improvements in key performance indicators including academic reputation, research citations by faculty and international students.

The University of Wollongong has achieved its third consecutive jump in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), rising 26 places to 220 in the 2019 rankings.

It is UOW's highest ever ranking and builds on the success of 2018, when UOW rose five places to be ranked 246th in the world.

In recent months, UOW has enhanced its reputation as one of the nation’s leading workplaces for gender equality and LGBTI inclusion, winning three major awards.

UOW is the only university in NSW and one of three Australian universities to hold an Athena SWAN award, the Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation and an Australian Workplace Equality Index Award for LGBTI inclusion.

University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE was delighted to receive an Honorary Doctor of the University (DUniv) from the University of Surrey, during a ceremony in the United Kingdom in July.

Professor Wellings was recognised for his leadership and contribution to the field of higher education, both in the United Kingdom and in Australia.

Tottenham Hotspur played two matches as part of the International Champions Cup (ICC) in Asia in July. The games were played in Singapore on 19 July and Shanghai on 25 July.

Alongside these matches, to support the promotion of the UOW Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Program, UOW offered coaching sessions with Tottenham Hotspur’s leading international coaches to high school students in each location.

More than 60 students attended each session with strong interest in the program from high school students, teachers and football organisations in Singapore and Shanghai. 

The UOW Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Program will commence in February 2020.

The Vice Chancellor Professor Wellings CBE attended the inaugural graduation ceremony on Tuesday 2 July at the Central China Normal University (CCNU) in Wuhan, China.

It was the biggest cohort of students to graduate from the Joint Institute since it commenced in 2016. A total of 45 students conferred, with 24 students graduating from Master of Computer Science and 21 students from Master of Engineering. 

In July, as well as January, of this year the International Office of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences (EIS), in collaboration with the Office of Global Student Mobility, coordinated two study tours with key partner universities in China.

The July Winter Study Tour had 31 students and 5 teachers from four universities. Students attended specially developed workshops and seminars that were designed and delivered by AIIM, EIS, SMART and UOW Library’s MakerSpace. Students also had the opportunity to engage with local UOW students through different social activities and participate in excursions around Wollongong and Sydney.

The Office of Global Student Mobility has signed a new Faculty of Business exchange agreement with one of the oldest universities in Europe, KU Leuven. 

Founded in 1425, is it Belgium’s highest-ranked university as well as one of the most renowned universities in Europe. Today, the university accommodates over 50,000 students – 18 percent of which are international students.

In July 2019, delegates from the Henan Polytechnic University in China visited the University of Wollongong to strengthen the existing partnership between the two institutions and renew the Student Mobility Agreement which was signed in 2015. 

Henan Polytechnic University, which is located in Jiaozuo City, is the first mining university in Chinese history, as well as the oldest institution in Henan province. 

On 3 August, the Australian Premier of the film ‘In Your Eyes’ was brought to UOW by the Kibbutz Ex Volunteer Association as part of the 18th Israeli Film Festival.

Directed by Barak Heymann, the film explores the lives of four influential Israeli YouTubers. The event was facilitated by UOW’s Yoke Berry and guests included government representatives, community members, business leaders, students and staff.

UOW welcomed 280 new study abroad and exchange students this Spring session. Over 30 countries are represented, with large cohorts from the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, China and France.

At the beginning of the semester, the Office of Global Student Mobility held an orientation for the students, providing them with important information to settle into life as a UOW student.

In August, a Meet and Greet event was hosted, giving them the chance to mingle with other students over some food and games and helping them feel welcome at UOW.