Refectory. Photo credit: ISEP
The University of Southern Queensland is a regional and distance education university based in Toowoomba. Roughly 3 out of 4 students are online learners. If you're a current or former USQ student, feel free to rate the university and post a review.
USQ Rating
Australia Ranking 29
Based on world university rankings.
Source: Australian Universities
Source: Australian Universities
Never Again!
Taken for a Ride
Do they ever audit their “upskill” markers? So much $$$ for so little!
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George P
Do what's good for YOU!
Went to USQ while living in the western suburbs of Brisbane for a double major in Comms and Multimedia (design), then switched to MA Ed postgrad and completed. Felt like I got incorrectly marked a couple of times, especially when a professor thinks you copied diagrams and they’re your own. However, I liked it for the price, proximity and being able to study online while working overseas as an English teacher so I could get residency. It was good over a decade ago and I enjoyed getting text readings sent over by courier. I had good interested professors too. I had to come home to complete on campus media subjects, but I just bought return fares. As a new student the first year was the hardest due to more exam scenarios, then it got easier. However, support was hard to get, like go figure. So, make appointments with your professors, treat them well as they’ve put in the hard yards. Some with make you work harder because they did, even though you may already be successful in your life. Others are a happy easy going bunch. Ask how they want you to answer the assignment without giving anything away, some guidance when you are in draft mode and work is incomplete and keep a journal to prove authenticity, pencil in [linking] your study notes and references, author, page, web, online video [mins/secs] etc- they don’t like cheats, so don’t get caught out doing that. I still enjoyed being on campus before I left single to work and study overseas, some great times and made lots of life-long friends from different countries, learning culture, language, food, fun and games, travel/sightseeing, etc. I suggest you pack your bags for a better education and experience overall where support is rampant. Being a mature student I could navigate barriers and come up with solutions. To be helpful here, overall, I’d advise having a foundation (previous study) with familiarity (schema) which is very helpful managing study loads, understanding concepts and practice, anxiety/stress levels; and it will also lift your grade/score. After my first graduate degree, I left to do a diploma before returning for the masters, then it was easy as. So munchkins and pumpkins go to an awarded technical and further education institute first, not a wanna be) where the help and support is real-life. You get a qualification to support yourself, and you’ll enjoy sailing across the seven seas during and after graduation. I tried UQ for one subject and left; some friends did also, not for some. What I hear in Brisbane is that QUT is more out in the field as well and supportive, and it’s a good place to live, city is expensive though. Do yourself a favour, research, research, research.
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Dylan
Be smarter than I and choose a different uni
I am staggered by how bad this university is. I studied a Masters of Teaching here and it was a horrible experience from beginning to end. From 16 courses, there was one that felt organized, beneficial and taught by someone who actually knew how to teach. Every interaction with UNISQ staff in support or placement was tragically inconvenient, unhelpful and a waste of time. It didn’t even end when I finished my courses. Just trying to be approved for graduation somehow became an administrative nightmare despite having a minimum of distinctions for every course. Pathetic university staffed by deviant time-wasters teaching courses devoid of valuable learning.
Go elsewhere!
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Sarah
These reviews are concerning me
I only have a few days left to accept my offer to study at USQ. I wanted to do the dual degree of business and Law but didn’t quite make the requirements for Law so I got offered into business. I have read all the reviews posted and I’m now happy that the law degree wasn’t an option but there have been no reviews about the business school. so anyone have any experience or advice with the USQ business program? Someone please help me before I might make a mistake going to this uni. I’ve already withdrawn from uni 3 times in the past 7 years, all from completely different degrees and I really want to stick my next choice out.
David
How’d is it so far?
Josh
All the cry babies are whining failures. UniSQ has been fantastic both in the subjects and support. Don’t base your decision on other people’s failures. Experience UniSQ yourself.
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MD
I’m thinking you haven’t had to deal with the engineering school’s transition to the new program? I feel like you might be singing a different tune if you did. I can’t recommend USQ to anyone after having to deal with that ongoing debacle. I’ve completed 3/4 of my degree without much issues already but I must a whining cry baby failure I guess.
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Lawstudent23
Worst run Legal faculty in the country
if you are looking at studying law, look elsewhere, seriously anywhere but here. I was enrolled in USQ’s JD program. Mismanaged is an understatement. The faculty was constantly chopping and changing the course leaving students confused about what they had and had not completed. This I gather was a symptom of poor management at the university-wide level, with significant changes being made to the academic calendar with no consultation with regard to its effect on student’s progress.
These two issues combined to create an atmosphere of confusion. The University changed course codes and pre-requisites mid program and was running three different study periods concurrently in an attempt to change the academic calendar ( a trimester, an Interim trimester and a semester)
I approached student services for a comprehensive study plan to navigate this confusion and was told to do a number of courses which were incorrect on an incorrect timeframe, they neglected to include prerequisites because course codes had changed I was incorrectly told I would need to redo a number of courses I had alreeady completed. The fact that the new trimester and old semester overlapped meaning I would miss key milestones.
USQ boasts of its flexibility in study arrangements but this is little more than puffery and can’t be further from the truth. for a professional degree where lecturers are aware that most of the cohort are working full time there is little to no regard paid to this fact. most of the short assessment pieces tended to open and close during the week over work hours. This is obviously not conducive to work and part-time study.
I study remotely, and lecturers are hard to contact and very rarely if ever return emails.
There is no value for money in this program. I don’t know if this is standard at USQ but in the law faculty, all lectures seem to be pre-recorded and re-used semester after semester.
As a postgraduate student, I pay almost double the fees of an undergraduate law student yet I am being delivered the same content in the same format and in combined lectures. This is not value for money and is detrimental to the accelerated pathway of the JD. neither the LLB’s nor the JD’s are getting the best out of this arrangement.
Student services are less than helpful and do not care about giving you the wrong information.
I have since transferred to a much more supportive university, locally where I am continuing my JD program.
I would implore anyone thinking about USQ as an option for Law to think very carefully
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CAS
Consider your options before studying nursing at USQ
I would think twice about studying at USQ. I am studying nursing and I really wish I had studied elsewhere. The labs for placements are run over three days and do not adequately prepare you at all. I was even told on one placement that it is a known fact that USQ has dropped the ball regarding its preparation of nursing students for placements. I was informed last year (2022) that the lab I was going to would not even provide demonstrations of procedures. Yet our very experienced staff member sat us down for an hour and a half for some kind of round table chat. Total waste of time. The “support” that is spoken of is just tokenism. I had been on placement for four weeks and asked if I could have an extension of a few days to catch up….DENIED!! Some staff are lovely, but a few a very, very rude. Additionally, goal posts are moved without giving the heads up, for example prerequisites for certain subjects that were previously not in place are introduced without warning, making a huge impact on enrolment plans. I started in 2018, which technically gives me until the middle of 2024 to complete my degree. I cannot study full time due to family and work commitments and the changes to prerequisites without warning are making it very difficult to get it done. Honestly if I had my time again I would be elsewhere, like JCU or CQU.
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James
I beseech all those with ears, please heed my warning, do not attend USQ!!!!
I am currently, studying at QUT, and because of my circumstances, I enrolled at USQ, due to the supposed convenience of online studying!!!! Well may I say unequivocally, from the moment, I tried to enroll in classes, it was a complete sh## Show!!!!! Regardless of how many times, I tried to navigate the enrollment process online, it was clear, that for some forsaken reason, the system would not allow me!!!
So I rang the “student support” ( warning do not be fooled by the tile) and the guy who answered was one of the most, impudent, ambivalent, people I have ever spoken to. He quickly asked me for my student ID then he abruptly put me on hold, only to come back 10 minutes later, and in a tone akin, to a police interview, ” You are not active in the course” I incredulously, protested!!! several times, each time this feckless bipedal, just kept repeating in a moribund state, the same line!!!
To cut a long story short, I was put through to a supervisor, in an equally moribund, tone, “what do you want me to do about it” Finally she offered a perfunctory solution to check my enrollment in an hour. Nine hours later still no joy!!!! I am definitely staying put at QUT, as I am still enrolled. All universities have their issues, but the difference between the two is like comparing, Kylie Minogue to Led Zepplin!!!
If anybody is thinking of enrolling at USQ, especially international students, think very carefully, if you are going to drop the ridiculous fees, on a course, ask yourself, would you rather invest, in Kylie or Zepplin!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Gavan Kinna
Not inpressed
I stopped attending classes as it seems some young immigrants to take offense at the sight of an old man in their class. No worries, so, online i go and what do i get, the most boring, humdyha, procrastinating video lectures that dick around instead of actually teach. I mean 2 hours of this guy whinging about how much time he has left and the dance over the serious stuff. (This is one lecture review.) Others, well i just could not understand every third word spoken. Tried to ring student service about an enrollment issue and was on hold all day and finally got to talk to someone who couldn’t answer my questions or was not interested in my dilemma , still unresolved. And to think now much money these establishments must be making. I’m currently looking else were to finish my third year.
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Adam
Worst uni in Australia? It would be close.
This university is a joke. I’ve completed 3 years of a Bachelor of Science with a GPA of 6.87, and yet feel I havent learnt a thing. I’ve stepped foot in a laboratory twice and any time I’ve had questions of student support, they have rushed to the aid of the university, been passive aggressive and super unhelpful. I have screenshots still of an email in which they accused me of being a liar and then when I replied in dismay with evidence substantiating what I’d said to them (about outdated lecture content) they just ignored me. This is the student support team who are supposed to support students (the name is a giveaway).
There is barely any hands on practical experience or learning that is related to work. In my part time capacity now I’m a related field, I literally hadn’t learnt a thing about anything the job involves. The climate science units are some of the worst I have ever come across – there are 4 and they’re almost identical. They all use data from sometimes 12 years ago with lectures pre recorded from 4-5 years ago. The environmental units contain zero hands on experience, which should he an important component, preferring instead to run meaningless simulations.
The campus is nigh-on-dead but rather than assist foreign students (of which I am not one) with incredible financial costs ($32,000+ per year) they’ve opted to instead remodel the vice chancellors office. The teaching standards vary, but they are mostly just content heavy, theoretical nightmares with very little real world applications.
The mental health team are absolutely pathetic too. A friend of mine once encountered them with fears about how much was required as a foreign student and that she was struggling to keep up. Rather than assist her with ways to cope or provide financial options they basically grilled her on who referred her if she couldn’t afford it, and she left in tears. I’ve never seen a worse, less professional counsellor in all my time.
I legitimately can’t find a single decent thing about my time here. A tonne of student debt and 3 years wasted at a uni with barely any social life, a disdain for foreign students, a lack of support for other students and that is seemingly only concerned with their own profitability. Woeful courses, assignments that waste huge amounts of time and teach you very little about a super specific topic, and a lifeless campus.
Avoid USQ like the plague. It is the worst University I have been to, or heard of. They hate listening to student advice but they need to. The university is a shambles and many within my degree have echoed the same sentiments in one way or other. Count this as a very pissed off zero star rating, for 3 years of teaching me nothing in spite of the hard work I’ve put in.
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Erkie
Loved USQ
I studied a Bachelor of Science at USQ and graduated with a major in Physics. I had previously studied at UQ doing Mining Engineering and I can say that I preferred USQ over UQ; the quality of teaching and courses at USQ was, in my opinion, far better. Is USQ for you? That depends. You will need to be able to take control of your learning as online is different from on-campus study. Additionally, online learning isn’t for everyone, but I loved it and prefer it to on-campus study. The quality of the residential schools is excellent, though challenging. Furthermore, I found the tutors exceptional; most of my tutors had a Ph.D. level qualification, which was a nice change from other universities where the tutors are students a year above you. I think many people that have had a problem with USQ are not the type of people to take control of their learning and expect to be babied – don’t get me wrong, USQ never left me floundering when I needed help, however, you are expected to work…it’s university after all.
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Current_Student_2021
A Dud for Engineering, but where isn't!
Currently doing BEng at USQ and will be finishing in the next year, I pretty much have nothing good to say about the place other than when I finish I will have a piece of paper that will allow me to work as a professional engineer. Most of the teaching staff are foreigners who have very low English skills, this is not conducive to teaching complex topics that require clear and concise explanations to be well understood. Most of my time is spent watching their lectures to decipher what exactly their trying to teach and then going to Youtube to find a lecturer from another university who can explain the topic properly, this is a huge waste of time making the learning experience highly inefficient. Unfortunately I have also completed another STEM degree at a different university and en counted all the same problems, the whole university system is an extorsion racket. My advice is, if you don’t really NEED a degree to do your desired career then don’t waste your money on university, all the information is available for free on the internet, and is of a much higher quality.
Roly
The pot is calling the kettle black...
Wow… Your own grammar and punctuation leave so much to be desired. How could you see fit to complain about the foreign staff’s English limitations when your own are so evident???
AverageStudent0001
I concur with everything Current_Student_2021 stated stated about BENG Degree at USQ.
Especially the fact that one has to try and decipher what the lecturer is attempting to communicate relating to course material.
I too have done another STEM field degree at a seperate university, but unlike USQ, all the lecturers spoke English fluently (international professors and associated professors teaching the units).
It is difficult in of itself to do an engineering degree, let alone having to reply recorded lectures to try and interpolate gaps due to a language barrier.
Note. I find it hypocritical that there is a level of English required to be able to enrol in the degree, yet the lecturers can’t speak to the standard required to communicate topic material.
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HD_Student
I too can confirm this. Having had a terrible time with USQ’s inept engineering department, who seem intent on just getting as many students doing subjects which are not relevant to the real world applications. The amount of difficulty I had with RPL and general navigation for communication channels (think multiple emails, no response). They seem intent on just making life so difficult and being so unbelievably unresponsive that students get fed up and do the subject, or the smart ones leave USQ for greener and more efficient organisations. If I could give this university 0 stars I would, terrible experience and would strongly discourage enrollment here.
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Jase
Any feedback on Grad Dip of Counselling
I am looking at doing a Grad Diploma of Counselling at USQ and wanted to see if there is any feedback from current or recent students on the course, lecturers and overall learning environment.
I will be undertaking this online / blended as a part-time student.
Many thanks
Tea
Hi there!
Just wondering if you ended up enrolling in this grad dip?
If so, I would love to hear your personal thoughts and feedback on the course as I am in the process of enrolling. I would prefer to hear from a current student in this specific degree in hopes to provide reassurance or… prevent me from a making a mistake.
Thank you!
Queenie
It's what you make it
I completed the Grad Dip in Counselling in 2020, and also went on to complete the Masters (finished in 2023). For me it was a wonderfully supportive experience. The team of lecturers were so helpful and professional and helped me discover a passion for research.
I found every staff member I encountered (library, admin, student support, ethics committee) to be incredibly helpful and respectful.
The loud and squeaky wheels on this thread would no doubt find something to criticize wherever they go. From my perspective, the course offered the flexibility and support I needed and a critical thinking and active learner.
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Dissappointed
Don't Study Teaching at USQ - They will not support you if you get a bad placement
I have completed my degree. My internship was horrible. My mentor teacher was an absolute nightmare. She was a total bully. Everyday I was subjected to excessive criticism and told I would never make a teacher. It was soul destroying. 20 days of this absolutely sapped my love for teaching. Now I have a degree that took me four years to get and PTSD to go with it. I cannot even teach. What a waste of time. USQ care nothing about student teacher wellbeing. USQ liaison officers are only there to support the placement schools as they want them to continue to take USQ students. If you get a bad placement they will tell you that you have to try harder. I had 2 out of 8 placements with nightmare teachers and the university did not me. It does not matter how much evidence you have about offending teachers the university renders you powerless. I have a huge student debt, all for nothing. Avoid it like the plague.
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jenny
There is another door
Sorry to read what happened to you.
I am an ex teacher and very old. I taught in horrible places and had the same criticisms as you have when starting out.
Here are some tricks.
Volunteer in the Primary Catholic system as an assistant. No pay. Send your CV to all the local Primary Catholic school Principals near you. Once they see your qualification they will want to meet you. If you are still in Qld get your Blue card if you have not already done so.
Become a Primary Catholic Teacher. This is the best education system for a young teacher because they will look after you.
If you are not a Catholic…does not matter. If you are then get the name of the Priest of your local catholic church. Make sure you meet the priest at the end of mass. Tell him your name and that you are seeking a position as a primary teacher. If he tells you a Principals name remember it.
Don’t worry if he never remembers you.
Now to add to your CV.
The name of the Priest and the church you attend. Then when you contact Catholic Primary schools it looks like you have a Priest’s reference.
Become a Catholic. Its not painful and will make the teaching religion much easier.
Adam
Are you for real? You are answering this person’s complaints about the USQ teaching standards by trying to convert her to Catholicism? Disgraceful.
No hope
I think he is genuinely trying to get her a job in a good school that is how the sty stem works. You either go independent or government. If you go independent you end up in a Catholic school – that is how you get in
Bex
Hang in there!
I am so sorry that you went through this. I myself studied a post-graduate diploma through USQ and also got a really horrible mentor – same thing, was a huge bully, belittled me every day, and then flat out lied on my exit report, which made it unusable. I also had PTSD symptoms after this placement, and spent a long time questioning whether I should use my degree or not – even now, after almost three years have passed, I still feel super upset if I think for even a moment of that placement and that person (I wonder if we got the same one even?).
I do now, though, have a part time job as a teacher, and I really like it. My lived experience every day at school proves to me (and the world!) that my mentor was just a disgustingly horrible, little-minded, sad person, and that I can do the job, and do it well. I hope that you might one day be able to do the same – I just wanted to let you know that I know how you feel, and that there can be a light at the end of that darkness xx
Leonie Klomp
USQ Tertiary Prep Program
Any reviews about the tertiary prep program at USQ?
Joshua
USQ TPP
I can only speak from an online perspective, but having worked with people doing both on-campus and external, the mood has generally been the same.
Staff are really friendly and supportive, however, it can take them a while to respond. It sometimes feels like there’s way more students than the staff can keep up with.
The UQ Study Desk is fantastic and easy to use (this is what you’d use to access course content). Plenty of regular Zoom lectures to ask questions, plus helpful forums you can use to ask others for assistance. The learning platform looks daunting at first, but you’ll pick it up pretty quickly once you’ve watched the tutorial videos.
The course content is easy to follow.
You should be able to manage it as long as you don’t over commit (I suggest doing one or two courses for the first semester and then see how you go from there).
My experience has been mostly positive and I would definitely recommend TPP at USQ, especially for mature age students.
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Katrina
Don’t bother
Toxic environment, after more students but does not care about you.
If you complain they make it plain you are not wanted. Only good if you can manage to suck up.
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Nicole
Unbelievable is it incompetence or something else
It is disgusting how im told im enrolled and pick my subjects then told by student admissions everything’s ok. I then receive an email today the same day that they have rejected me for late enrolment. I accepted their offer last week. They told me why don’t you enrol next semester or next year
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Zak
Just Good, not Great
I’m a current graduate student at USQ doing a Master of Science in Astrophysics (part time – distance). This is my 4th uni degree, I hold one undergrad and one grad from CSU and one undergrad from UoN. USQ astrophysics is fairly bland. The lecturers do the bare minimum and really seem to want you to go off and teach yourself, which as a student in their 4th degree, I don’t mind. If you are a new student or a student returning after a number of years away, this could make the entire experience very difficult. In terms of content difficulty everything is what you would expect for a university, the courses have too much stuff in them, the lecturers do too little work, and you spend heaps of time self learning. I studied maths/science at CSU and economics/finance/maths at UoN, and it was the same at both of these unis. Overall, my experience at USQ has been good so far. Just Good, not Great.
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Mark
Reply to criticism of Astrophysics masters
A quick reply comment regarding the criticism of the Astrophysics Masters and UniSQ astrophysics generally –
Firstly, it is NOT “bland”. The astrophysics academics are among the best in the world, the coursework is based on the discipline’s staple leading textbooks, and high achieving students can progress on to PhD studies and become Adjunct researchers with UniSQ so if astronomy is something you are passionate about then UniSQ has one of the best opportunities in Australia to pursue it. The Centre for Astrophysics is also rated 5 stars by the Australian Research Council. It is one of thr most dynamic and distinguished research hubs in Australia and the programs can very satisfactorily lead you into being a part of that if you have the dedication and ethos to pursue these opportunities.
Second, the limited time available in teaching and a very large subject area means that you should look at this as a springboard, not the entirety of your astronomy education. No degree in any field will teach you everything you need to know. This is university and as a graduate student in particular, you should be seeking out yourself opportunities for independent learning to go beyond the launch off material that is covered in the course. University in general and postgrad in particular is not a place to demand to be spoon fed. Your curriculum is a starting point from which you can expand on yourself. if you pursue postgraduate research you will need to be in the mindset of being an independent learner to keep up in the field.
UniSQ astrophysics has tremendous opportunities and I encourage you to look upon your masters as a springboard to the opportunities uniquely on offer.
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Shassay
Loved the experience
I think the biomedical sciences program is great! I had lots of real lab experience and placements to further my knowledge. The teaching staff were really helpful and any IT issues were dealt with promptly! I would definitely recommend checking them out
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Murry
Online students IT degree experience
Background:
Graduated (2020), double major in IT, online over 4 years, high gpa.
Worked in real world IT during degree and confirmed below issues also experienced by other students.
Pros
– USQ online platform in the main is quite good.
Cons
– Staff running courses can completely disappear for weeks and even months! (with no notice to students).
– Small questions/issues will take days/weeks to get a response (if you even get one).
– Courses all have numerous spelling mistakes, errors, missing files, terrible structure.
– USQ has regular course feedback surveys, these are ignored.
– Course content can be very outdated (decades) and many courses teach the same overlapping content.
– Lecturers are far removed from the real world of IT.
I queried staff and faculty about these cons (and many others), they gave very poor excuses/apologies and no indication of fixing anything moving forward.
USQ IT lecturers simply fail at the core basics of a teachers role which makes online learning very stressful.
To be fair, I had 3 courses out of 24 where staff actually did the basics of their job and the difference was night and day.
Studying an online IT degree at USQ you must be prepared to go it alone much of the time and be able to handle stress.
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Dr Kirsten
Keep Looking!
I recently did a short “Upskill” course at USQ, I’d really like to have something positive to say, but sadly, it’s a big NO from me. Lazy teacher, hopeless admin. Nowadays, some big questions are being asked of unis and likely, over time, a few will rise to the task, but not this one! Keep looking, you can do better.
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Steph
Law online at USQ
Hi, can anyone share their experience in studying law (Bachelor/JD) online at USQ? Were there any huge difficulties/tips that can be shared?
JO
Response to your query :)
Hi Steph,
I am currently completing my second degree with USQ – Bachelor of Law. I would highly recommend you DO NOT attend this University for their Law Programs. I am currently looking at moving to QUT as they offer Law Online which is suited for Full-Time workers. The Teaching Staff at USQ sometimes have poor english, they are very arrogant I have found (except for a few) and are never open to feedback themselves. I would pay any additional costs to attend a more current, professional and better performing university (QUT / UQ).
Hope this assists.
Paul
Look Elsewhere.
Hi Steph. I am currently in my second year in USQ Juris Doctor program (online).
I am transferring to another University, which should give you some indication.
So far I have had one highly competent lecturer and the rest are mediocre at best. There is literally only one thing good about USQ, and that is the learning platform is easy to navigate. I would strongly suggest look elsewhere.
Kay Jay
Great univeristy!!
I am an external student and have been studying online with USQ part-time for 6 years. I have one more unit before I graduate (BARTS degree – double major). My experience has been nothing but positive. I’ve received awesome marks for assessments and some not so great marks, but never at any stage did I feel that I was marked unfairly. I have felt nothing but supported from admin staff to teaching staff and yes, I’ve had my favourite teachers and not so favourite teachers, but I learnt something from each of them. There’s been some really well organised courses and some not well organised, but USQ provides multiple opportunities to provide frank feedback on your experience of each individual course you take and I have always been honest (good or bad) with my feedback. The opportunity to give your feedback is done with the highest confidentiality because they want honest opinions and I can say that I have seen amendments in practices due to student feedback. As with anything in life, what you get out of something depends largely on what you put into it. My road has not been easy, I’m a mum of four with a shift working husband, I also work and I volunteer at my children’s school and sports club, but I want my qualifications so I’m working really hard to get them. Love this university!!
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Chris
Friendly Uni
Studying nursing in Ipswich campus. USQ is not a big uni compare to other uni but the campuses are really lovely and peaceful in Springfield and Ipswich ( I haven’t been to Toowomba campus so I don’t know how the main campus is). These two campuses are friendly especially if you are shy and being nervous when seeing so many people and can’t breathe when seeing many big buildings (just like me), then USQ is a really good choice for you. Also, the staff here are supportive, lovely and friendly that they always like to help me and answer my question patiently, which makes me feel that I’m not a “money maker” to uni but a student, a member of USQ. So what I want to say is, USQ is not a big uni, but it is definitely a peaceful and friendly uni which makes me feel like I’m a part of them and here is where I belong to.
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AP
USQ TERRIBLE UNI
USQ is not a good uni. There is lack of support from staff and lecturer. They cannot organise a good practical placement either.
I did a Graduate Diploma Teaching 3 years ago but did not complete it. This is due to the lack of support from the lecturer and the staff.
There was a problem occurred at my practical placement with the head of department of Business and Technology in the Kenmore High School. The Head of Department kept insisting that I had to extend my practical when I was only late for one day to start the practical then she complained about me being late arriving at the school in the morning when I was not.
In the end, I had to give up my study after I wasted my effort in studying one semester. This is because of that incident and at the same time the course terminated at that time.
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Matt
Generally positive experience, well worth a look.
I started a Grad Cert in Business at USQ online at the beginning of the year and my only real complaint so far is that the unit that I completed at Deakin will not be accepted for credit until I articulate into the MBA (which I was planning on doing anyway). Perhaps it is the units that I have been doing so far but the material is of reasonable standards (not really challenging but neither was the postgrad unit I did at Deakin), lecturers are approachable when needed, and I haven’t had any general difficulties. The experience is comparable with the 3 other universities that I have studied with (Griffith, ECU, Deakin) and the student portal is relatively intuitive to use.
Unless there are major benefits that come with studying with the likes of the University of Melbourne (networking and alumni, perhaps?), I don’t know why you’d bother with the higher course fees.
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RH
Great environment for Psychology!
I completed my undergrad and Honours science/psychology degrees degrees through USQ. The undergrad degree was via distance learning and Honours was distance/residential. I found overall the experience to be excellent, with quality lecturers, materials and course content. I am currently a PhD student at USQ and I can’t recommend the university highly enough.
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Rosie
USQ makes me Nervous
So far my opinion of their admin/IT processes makes me nervous. It took 3 attempts to lodge my enrolment into their TPP (IT problems at their end) Although, to their credit they were very quick to get back to me in relation to the problem. Finally lodged my application and was accepted into their November intake. After receiving a confirmation of enrolment email, a few days later I received a phone call to say that Nov intake wasn’t open yet….I should not have been accepted and will have to wait until it opens. After a couple of months I received a text to confirm again and I needed to follow the link and start my course enrolment. Problems again….the link to the zone wouldn’t open as it wasn’t ready yet (again staff response was quick and friendly) but why send a link that isn’t ready to open? I know these are only small issues but it makes me scared for when it’s time to study my real course when basic efficiency is lacking.
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Thomas
Awful University for Teaching
I studied a Master’s of Teaching here. Coming from Western Sydney University this university isn’t even in the same ball park. The staff are hit and miss and the amount of grammatical and administrative errors during the course is unbelievable. Placements are always stressful as they do not organise them efficiently. One particular unit I did was awful and the teaching staff even worse, nothing redeemable from it at all. Could learn more from staring at brick wall.
Look elsewhere, can recommend Western Sydney University for teaching and wish I never made the switch for family reasons.
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nickyj
USQ placement
I am a mature aged Nursing student and external. My first priority was placement locations and was told that placements will be local to where I live as I have young children to look after, perfect. That was never the case. I am currently travelling 93kms from my house to a placement. The cost isn’t great, but I cannot apply for help as it only starts 100km distance, external cannot get student gocards (I rang TransLink, its at the uni choice). Admin is unable to answer questions or are rude when I ask for some transparency and communication regarding another placement that was supposed to allocated 2 months ago. Im looking elsewhere to transfer, USQ is stressful.
SD
USQ is a great online university
Currently completing a PhD with USQ. They have been great. The online learning system is fantastic, and the resources and online library are better than other universities I have been involved with. If you are looking at distance education, then USQ is the number one choice.
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Sagie
Nursing degree feedback
Can anyone please give me feedback of nursing degree (online) in this university. I am going to enrol there soon. Thank you for your support
Aj
Nursing
I finished my Degree online last year online. USQ is amazing in every aspect. I highly recommend it. Thanks
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David
Mens - think again
I did a Beng with USQ a decade ago via distance learning and Mens via online recently. The Beng experience was good but the Mens is just terrible! Apparently a decade ago, technology has not matured yet, courses were delivered the old fashion way by sending out textbook to students. In a decade, so much has changed, technology has advanced so much engineering course can now be delivered online. Supposedly this should improve the quality of teaching, on the contrary, I find the quality of the teaching staff going down down down. Except for a handful of good lecturers (and shrinking in numbers), the rest are just terrible! No passion in teaching, just teach for a living and mostly from outside the country as a newly arrived migrant. Some of them speak terrible English while others does not even have the basic – no postings on forums and does not responses to students emails! Apart from the newly recruited lecturers from overseas, another area is the out-of-date text which are decade old with no updates to reflect technology change. Imagine studying a ten years old study book for technical subjects such as computers! I will not recommend the Mens to anyone. Good if your purpose is just to get a qualification to show your employer but as far as learning experience goes not at all. The faculty really should reflect and wake up if they want to attract future students. A big disappointment but I am hoping my alma mater can do better than that.
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Elliott P
Interested in Sport and Exercise Science, I am BEGGING you to look elsewhere.
If you are interested in the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science, go as far away from USQ as possible. By far the worst program I have encountered.
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Shane
What’s the reasoning behind this?
chia
I’m interested in USQ’s BoS in human physiology. Some courses may be the same as Sport and Exercise Science. Can you talk a bit more about why your experience is so bad, please?
LapLace
Engineering...... don't bother
I had the misfortune of picking USQ to study electrical engineering.
It has been by far the worst possible decision.
Some lecturers are fantastic the others are completely horrible.
This combined with the dismal face to face contact hours and lack of any real engineering community means this university is rubbish for electrical engineering.
Consider the following:
For example, all electrical fundamentals ie AC and DC circuit analysis is done in one course bundled with Electromagnetics, Dc motors, DC machines, AC motors, AC machines, Transformers and 3 phase delta start configs are all bundled into one course which has only 4 hours a week for 12 weeks of classes. Meaning you have less than 50 hours of tutorials and lectures to teach you the most important fundamentals of electrical engineering.
Or perhaps Transistors, MOSFETs, oscillators, amplifiers, opamps, Schmitt triggers etc all taught in less than 25 hours of face to face lectures/tutorials. With an examiner who quite frankly couldn’t care less about his job.
Courses are run in “workshop mode” which means they have lecturers who won’t conduct lectures and just expect you to read the material yourself and ask them questions.
We had a lecturer to teach us how to use software who didn’t know themselves how to use the software citing “they had never used it but were good with another piece of software”.
My suggestion, choose a uni that offers you a complete learning experience, there are good reasons USQ has such a poor reputation.
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AG
I inquired about a bridging course offered in Trimester 3 that would guarantee entry into my chosen program. When I enrolled I was assured that I would be able to transfer in Trimester 1, provided at least a pass grade was achieved. What they completely failed to mention was that the enrolment for the program closed two days prior to the grades for the course being released, meaning that it was impossible to enrol in time for Trimester 1. They then assured me that I would be able to transfer in Trimester 2. This was yet another false promise as the program wasn’t even offered in Trimester 2, and I’d have to wait until Trimester 1 the following year!
Other issues were that during lectures there were a lot of technical difficulties (such as the lecturer not knowing how to use the lecture capture software and spending 10+ minutes getting it to work). The lectures could also be very low-quality recordings. I missed a tutorial on one occasion and it was like watching the 1969 moon landing. Makes you wonder why they uploaded it, did they even check it first was watchable? This would be a real concern for someone who is busy and needed quick access to lectures to have sit through a poorly recorded video with these kinds of issues. On top of that about 1/3 of the lecturers couldn’t speak the language to a decent standard. Even some of the immigrant students agreed that they were difficult to understand.
Lastly most of the staff were kind and helpful but there were also some who were rude and useless (which kind of links to my first point). I am talking about some of the admin staff by the way because my lecturers were all lovely and helpful. On one occasion I responded to an email which was sent to me, trying to clarify what they had meant as it didn’t seem relevant to anything, to which I received a response that said “well you would know”. Also don’t bother going for the scholarships. I got $1500 to spend for my course resources and they wouldn’t let me spend in the online book shop (I was doing it online so I needed to). They also would heavily restrict the amount that was spent at one time and make me justify most of my purchases for the courses I was taking. I had my orders cancelled three times and it became a headache and a waste of time.
Overall, I would recommend avoiding this university if you don’t live locally. The administrative issues alone would be enough for me to not recommend this university.
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Cathy
Hit and miss
I completed my Bachelor of Science here (Physics and Math), and it was definitely hit and miss with courses and lecturers. I’ve had some really good lecturers who set content out well and are clear with instructions, but I have also had courses where there was no clarity, course materials were outdated and mixed in with newer stuff (2013 lectures and studybooks etc, uploaded with half-‘updated’ and incomplete lectures from the current semester). I think there was about 5 updates of the studybook for one of my courses last semester (Financial Economics or something). Physics was all online, so it was a bit clearer (very content heavy, but the residential schools were fun and I enjoyed the majority of the courses). Most my math courses I ended up doing online as I couldn’t understand lecturers’ accents, and even then content was hard to follow. I think the only math courses that were actually ok were MAT2100 with Dmitry, and the Operations Research courses with Trevor.
Another downside is that you don’t really get much choice in the courses you do, especially if you do two eight unit majors.
I guess my advice is, if you’re planning to come to usq for the math program, make sure you’re prepared for a lot of independent study and minimal direction from lecturers.
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suj_9t
Huh! and I just applied as an international student.
tgo2219
hi. How is it to live and study in toowoomba campus? is it safe and how about getting part time jobs? ive applied for July Intake.
PJ
Good choice for online study
I transferred to do my masters at USQ after completing a grad cert at Griffith uni. I find it much better structured and actually challenging in comparison to my grad cert. It’s a real shame that online students can only attend graduation ceremonies in Toowoomba. I’d be so much easier if we could go to Springfield or Ipswich. Overall though as a full-time worker/mature age student, USQ is a decent choice for online study and has a wide selection.
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Ethel Gwatking
Just curious how an MBA from USQ helped you to further your career prospects or advancement? I am thinking of enrolling in USQ’s MBA and MPA dual.
Ian
USQ, no thank you
USQ is a Dud, teaching staff do reply in a timely manner, spelling errors in course material. Support for distance students non-existent, this is my 2nd uni experience, and as a mature aged student, I have decide that my children will not study through here.
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David
USQ was my choice for a second degree, and the first year was fantastic: the teaching staff were amazing, helpful, and intuitive. They replied to questions and even silly things. Unfortunately it went downhill pretty fast in the second year. The University grounds went through a major overhaul, and programs were thrown around between campuses. What used to be a 15min commute turned into two hours, and the great staff either left or had too much to do. One particular staff member took it upon themselves to accuse me of cheating on an exam. I was cleared, but the accusation stung and left a bitter taste in my mouth. The harassment continued into my third year, and I transferred to another online university to finish my degree. There was no recourse I could take, and inquiries into her behaviour were tossed aside with an automated email of “we’re investigating.” I honestly don’t know what came of it, because I gave up after a year of trying to get something done. So I’m assuming nothing. They may offer the benefit of online education, but a bigger university can take responsibility for its staff in a way that USQ won’t.
Misoo lee
The university issues as exact same degree,piece of paper as on-campus study’s for on-line study’s?
Carrie
I enrolled here initially, but transferred to CQU. I disliked the way the distance education courses were structured online (difficult to follow) and my lecturers did not always respond to my questions. Many of the teachers don’t speak English particularly well, and from my experience, some had problems communicating complex ideas and theories. It just made the entire educational process very difficult for me.
SKAT
@Carrie how have you found CQU in comparison, better? And what are/were you studying? Cheers, trying to make up my mind between the two and leaning towards CQU
Craig
While my first degree done with USQ was OK, the second degree shows how in a few short years the quality of education has hit the floor. Courses are disorganised and decades out of date. Teaching staff are hit and miss, with a lot more misses. In one subject, assignment solutions were released before the assignment due date, requiring a new assignment to be issued. Another subject, the submission portal wasn’t opened until late on the due date. Teaching staff are happy to put their feet up while external students cry out for assistance and proper materials. Lectures are poorly recorded and complaints are never actioned (Was told that we can’t hurt any ones feelings). Study materials are extremely dated, as are recommended text books, which seems highly inappropriate for a computer engineering course (Some texts from 1993 – 97).
My advise is not to be cheap with your education. You certainly get what you pay for. Only good thing is bonding with students who share the frustrations.
Current_student
If your thinking of studying engineering here, probs don’t. The staff are great or terrible, there is are large disconnect with real world practices and achievable relevant content provided. I total re-think of what USQ ‘s approach to learning entails is needed asap. UQ or QUT if I had my time again.
Reza Karimi
USQ is one of the most friendly universities of Australia. I have pursued 3 programs at USQ, one on campus, another at an external partner institution and a third one as an online student. In all modes of education, I have faced the same quality of support and concern from my teachers.
The courses are designed such that the student can handle the study load himself. However, teachers are easy to reach should there be any query. I highly recommend USQ to both international students wanting to go to Toowoomba for studies or those considering to commence another program via another mode.