56.5% ▲ +26.8%
Higher than 87% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 44.5%
- 2016: 49.0%
- 2021: 56.5%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Sunshine Coast · Urban Area
Education & Qualifications in Sunshine Coast
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Higher levels of education are common in Sunshine Coast compared to most similar areas. Over a fifth of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, and school completion rates have climbed significantly over the last decade. This creates a well-qualified local workforce across various professional fields.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Year 12 completion rose 12 points since 2011 to reach 56.5%, which is much higher than most similar areas. This figure is about the same as the Queensland average, though it sits a little below the national result.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Sunshine Coast, Year 12 is the majority at 60%; Year 10 is next at 24%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Adults with a bachelor degree or higher now make up 21.5% of the population, a figure that rose 6.3 points since 2011. While this is much higher than most similar areas, it remains well below the Australian average of 26.3%.
21.5% ▲ +41.6%
Higher than 79% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 15.2%
- 2016: 17.8%
- 2021: 21.5%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →In Sunshine Coast, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 38%, followed by Bachelor degree (28%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (20%).
Field of study
What people studied.
Qualifications are spread across several sectors, led by management and commerce at 17.2%. Other common fields include engineering and related studies at 13.2% and health at 12.6%.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Sunshine Coast
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Sunshine Coast [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/3015/sunshine-coast/topic/education