SDG 4: Quality Education
Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
UNSW's target sets out that 25% of commencing domestic undergraduate students are from a low-socioeconomic background and/or socio-educationally disadvantaged school by 2027.
SDG education at UNSW
Watch this panel discussion on the SDGs and education, which was run as part of UNSW's inaugural SDG Showcase in September 2024.
The SDG Showcase was a free, all-day event open to all the community that presented the amazing work UNSW is doing to progress the SDGs through transformative education, innovative research and partnerships with communities around the world.
Our work
UNSW Strategy in Action 2025
Universities are at the heart of the sophisticated global knowledge system shaping our future and UNSW has a key role to play. We aspire to improve lives globally, through partnerships, innovative research, transformative education and commitment to a just society.
The 2025 Strategy commits UNSW to:
Deliver excellence in education and research that attracts the world’s best students and staff and creates globally minded, in-demand graduates.
Increase access for underrepresented students to higher education through educational outreach.
Ensuring top-tier partnerships to aid marginalised and disadvantaged communities across the globe.
Access & Equity
The 2025 University Strategy includes a commitment to developing student access and support activities that position UNSW as a leader, ensuring we nurture students of high potential regardless of their background. The Access and Participation Plan commits to increasing the participation and achievement of students from all equity backgrounds.
target of the commencing domestic undergraduate cohort to be from a low-SES background and/or a Gateway school by 2027.
enrolments in Term 1 2024 following early conditional offers. 2023 saw a significant increase in Gateway Admission Pathway applications, early conditional offers and enrolments to UNSW.
students reached at 104 Gateway schools in 2023.
Access & Equity 2023 Impact Statement
The Impact Statement reports on the progress of initiatives relating to student outreach, access and equity, and the ways UNSW is working to ensure that historically underrepresented groups are receiving equitable access and improved educational outcomes at university.
Annual Inclusive Education Showcase
The annual showcase is a unique opportunity for the UNSW teaching community and others to learn about different inclusive technologies and practices, and how to incorporate them to make their their teaching and learning more accessible.
SDG toolkit videos
On the official YouTube channel for UNSW, you’ll find short-form factual content exploring how the world works and how you can make it better – including our SDG toolkit playlist.
EDI x SDGs Pecha Kucha
Watch Pecha Kucha presentations by 10 UNSW luminaries – ranging from students, postgraduates, academics, professional staff and university leaders – demonstrate how their approaches to equity, diversity and inclusion and education intersect with the SDGs.
Scientia Education Academy lecture series
A forum for educators to share thought leadership to enhance the educational experience at UNSW. In this video, guest speaker Hamish Coates intoduces the ‘smarter learning’ initiative and next-generation assessment reforms required to make significant productivity advances for our higher education and broader communities.
Business leader podcast
The Business Think podcast, hosted by UNSW, features leaders from industry, government and for-purpose sectors sharing their views and experience about core issues shaping the future of business, such as sustainability and AI.
Centres, programs and partnerships
NSW Equity Consortium
A collaborative partnership between UNSW, UTS and Macquarie University to engage in outreach work which seeks to build student and school capacity for accessing tertiary education and improving post-school learning outcomes.
New Gateway Equity Target
In 2022, UNSW Sydney announced the Gateway Equity Target, which sets out that 25% of commencing undergraduate domestic students will be from low-SES backgrounds and/or socio-educationally disadvantaged schools by 2027. This target is an extension of UNSW’s Strategy 2025 focused on increasing the University’s social impact.
SDG learning resources
A collection of Sustainability Learning resources is available via the UNSW Sustainability site, including the SDG modules which present information on the SDGs in a simple and easy way to help academics consider ways that sustainability thinking can be included in their own teaching.
UNSW videos
On the official YouTube channel for UNSW Sydney, Australia’s global university, you’ll find short-form factual content exploring how the world works and how you can make it better.
Nura Gili Indigenous Youth Leaders Program
The Nura Gili Indigenous Youth Leaders Program is a multi-disciplinary program, where students experience University through all faculties and develop leadership skills through a cultural workshop.
Gateway Admission Pathway and Program (GAPP)
The Gateway Admission Pathway and Program is UNSW's primary initiative to ensure equitable access for underrepresented students. It combines a set of curriculum-linked learning experiences with an admission pathway that lifts students’ HSC attainment and ensures equitable access to UNSW.
UNSW Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP)
The UNSW Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) 2022-2025 commits the University to removing the barriers people with disability face when it comes to acessing and succeeding in tertiary education. It also aims to encourage the employment of people with disability at all levels of the University, both in the academic and non-academic spheres.
UNSW Making
UNSW is creating the largest network of connected Makerspaces and workshops in Australia. A network of genuine collaboration and shared values, these values are centred on the principle of barrier-free access to tools and tech for all students, staff and external partners.
Lifelong learning
UNSW believes in lifelong learning to help reach your professional development goals and offers opportunities, course discounts, coaching and study leave.
Shack Tutoring
Shack Tutoring is a free tutoring program connecting local high school students with volunteer university students as tutors.
UNSW Sustainable Development Goals 2023 Report
This report outlines UNSW's performance against the SDGs in 2023.
