CensusAtlas

Wollongong · Urban Centre

Education & Qualifications in Wollongong

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

A gap of over 8 percentage points separates Wollongong from the state and national figures for Year 12 completion. While many locals are better qualified than those in similar areas, the city still trails New South Wales and Australia in overall school and university attainment.

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📍 Wollongong, Urban Centre

Where Wollongong sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

21.5% —

All urban centre areas, 2021. The marker is Wollongong — higher than 84% of areas.

Wollongong21.5%
2526, NSW 22.9%
New South Wales 27.8%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

About 50.3% of residents have finished Year 12, which is much higher than most similar areas. This figure rose 5.5 points since 2016, though it remains well below the national average of 58.8%.

Completed Year 12

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50.3% —

Higher than 80% 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 Wollongong, Year 12 is the majority at 53%; Year 10 is next at 28%.

Year 12 50.3% Year 10 26.5% Year 9 or below 11.6% Year 11 5.9%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

Higher education is common here, with 21.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or more. This is much higher than in similar areas, but still well below the New South Wales figure of 27.8%.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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21.5% —

Higher than 84% 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 Wollongong, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 39%, followed by Bachelor degree (27%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).

Certificate III / IV 32.7% Bachelor degree 22.6% Advanced diploma / diploma 15.0% Postgraduate degree 8.8% Graduate diploma / certificate 3.3% Certificate I / II 2.2%

Field of study

What people studied.

The most common qualifications are in management and commerce at 17.8%, followed closely by engineering and related fields at 17.1%. Society and culture degrees are also frequent at 12.6%.

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 Wollongong [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL102005/wollongong/topic/education