With six campuses across five Australian states and one transnational campus in Dubai, SAE was officially registered as a University College in late December 2023, according to the college.

Calling it a “significant milestone in SAE’s 48-year history”, CEO Joseph Anthonysz stated that this was a welcome recognition of its continued contribution to the industry.

“As recognised leaders in creative media education, SAE looks forward to building on these foundations and sharing our teaching and learning practices to help shape the future of the higher education sector and industry at large,” said Anthonysz.

Looking to the future, SAE’s Australasia general manager, Luke McMillan, has said that the institute plans to carry forward their student-focused ethos.

“Our students’ best interests are at the core of everything we do, and our elevation to University College status only strengthens that, now and into the future,” McMillan said upon the announcement.

First introduced in 2021 by the Australian Government, those applying to be included in the category of University College must demostrate the “capability to offer and self-accredit higher degrees by research in at least three broad fields of study”.

Rules state it must also be able to self-accredit at least 85% of its total courses of study.

Since 2021, other universities to be registered under the new University College category by the country’s education standards agency include National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), Moore Theological College, and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

“SAE looks forward to building on these foundations”

“For SAE students, their studies, facilities and learning community will remain unchanged.

“But it’s our hope that our students and graduates may now also reap the benefits of an enhanced reputational consideration of their qualification based on the new category designation,” McMillan added.

The move was made officially under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011.

For TEQSA, the government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, 2021 marked the commencement of its revised Higher Education Standards Framework, defined at the time by TEQSA chief commissioner Peter Coaldrake as something that would “simplify and enhance the categorisation of higher education providers, ensuring the category standards remain fit for purpose”.