Gold Coast

Gold Coast

Sabrina Collier

Updated July 15, 2021 Updated July 15

QS Best Student Cities ranking: 84th

The second-largest city in the state of Queensland (and the sixth-largest in Australia), Gold Coast boasts 52km of golden sands and 300 sunny days per year, and even has a suburb named ‘Surfer’s Paradise’. Indeed, surfers and general beach-fans will feel right at home here, and it’s unsurprising that Gold Coast is ranked in the top 50 cities for desirability in the 2019 edition of the QS Best Student Cities ranking.

Gold Coast is one of Australia’s fastest-growing large cities, and has expanded rapidly in recent decades largely thanks to the effect of the area’s flourishing tourism sector. The city annually hosts the Gold Coast 600 car racing event and also hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Away from all the skyscrapers, the surrounding rural hinterland, referred to as the “green behind the gold”, is a lush, subtropical rainforest of three national parks, with numerous mountains, natural rock formations and spectacular waterfalls.

Among the top universities in Gold Coast is Griffith University, ranked joint 320th in the world. Gold Coast receives its highest score in the student mix indicator in the QS Best Student Cities ranking, thanks to a high percentage (19 percent) of international students at its leading universities.

Are you studying in Gold Coast? Rate your experience.

Internationally ranked universities in Gold Coast

Griffith UniversityBond UniversitySouthern Cross University

More about Gold Coast

Number of universities ranked by QS

3

Highest-ranked institution

Griffith University (Joint 320th)

Population

638,000

Average international fees (at ranked unis)

US$20,600

Desirability rank

48th

Employer Activity rank

120th

Affordability rank

89th

Student View rank

104th

To find out how each of the above categories is calculated, view the methodology.

This article was originally published in November 2015 . It was last updated in January 2020

Written by

The former Assistant Editor of TopUniversities.com, Sabrina wrote and edited articles to guide students from around the world on a wide range of topics. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University and grew up in Staffordshire, UK. 

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