CensusAtlas

Newcastle · Urban Centre

Education & Qualifications in Newcastle

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

Far more residents in Newcastle hold higher qualifications than in most similar areas, with 24% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This educational profile has shifted quickly, as the rate of university degrees rose by 7.6 percentage points since 2011.

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📍 Newcastle, Urban Centre

Where Newcastle sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

24.0% ▲ +46.2%

All urban centre areas, 2021. The marker is Newcastle — higher than 88% of areas.

Newcastle24.0%
2290, NSW 23.4%
New South Wales 27.8%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

Over half of residents have finished Year 12, a figure that rose 11 points since 2011. However, at 51.9%, this is still well below the New South Wales and national figures.

Completed Year 12

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51.9% ▲ +26.7%

Higher than 84% of urban centre areas.

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

Highest year of school

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In Newcastle, Year 12 is the majority at 55%; Year 10 is next at 28%.

Year 12 51.9% Year 10 26.4% Year 9 or below 10.2% Year 11 5.9%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

The most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV at 31.0%. While the proportion of bachelor degrees is much higher than in similar areas, it remains a little below the national figure.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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24.0% ▲ +46.2%

Higher than 88% of urban centre areas.

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 Newcastle, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 36%, followed by Bachelor degree (30%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (17%).

Certificate III / IV 31.0% Bachelor degree 25.7% Advanced diploma / diploma 14.5% Postgraduate degree 8.3% Graduate diploma / certificate 3.5% Certificate I / II 2.0%

Field of study

What people studied.

Qualifications are spread across several key sectors, with management and commerce being the most common at 17.9%, followed closely by engineering and health.

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 Newcastle [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL102004/newcastle/topic/education