CensusAtlas

New South Wales · State / Territory

Education & Qualifications in New South Wales

How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.

Management and commerce are the most common fields of study in New South Wales, where 21.8% of qualified residents specialise in these areas. The state has seen a strong push towards higher learning, with the share of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher climbing by 8.0 percentage points since 2011.

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📍 New South Wales, State / Territory

Where New South Wales sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

27.8% ▲ +40.3%

All state / territory areas, 2021. The marker is New South Wales.

New South Wales27.8%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

High school completion has improved significantly, with 58.9% of people now finishing Year 12 compared to 49.2% in 2011. This result is about the same as the national figure.

Completed Year 12

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58.9% ▲ +19.7%

Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.

Highest year of school

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In New South Wales, Year 12 is the majority at 63%; Year 10 is next at 21%.

Year 12 58.9% Year 10 19.7% Year 9 or below 9.6% Year 11 4.9%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

A bachelor degree or higher is held by 27.8% of adults, which is a little above the Australian average of 26.3%. This is a much higher proportion than in most other similar areas.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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27.8% ▲ +40.3%

Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).

Highest qualification level

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In New South Wales, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 35%, followed by Certificate III / IV (28%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).

Bachelor degree 28.8% Certificate III / IV 23.4% Advanced diploma / diploma 14.6% Postgraduate degree 11.5% Graduate diploma / certificate 3.2% Certificate I / II 1.7%

Field of study

What people studied.

Beyond management, the most popular qualifications are in engineering and related fields at 12.9%, followed by society and culture at 11.8%.

Sources

  • Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).

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Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in New South Wales [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ste/1/new-south-wales/topic/education