Who wants to be a millionaire?

UNSW has produced more millionaire graduates than any other Australian university, a new global analysis has found.

The league table, compiled by consulting company WealthInsight and Spear’s magazine, lists UNSW as 33rd in the world in the number of millionaires among its alumni.

The most popular course for millionaires was engineering, followed by the MBA, economics and law, although many no longer work in their field of expertise.

“Entrepreneurs, who ultimately end up being the wealthiest in the world, are innovators and the top subjects are those which encourage new and smart thinking, whether technical or financial,” said Spears editor Josh Spero.

The analysis also highlighted the emergence of computer science as the eighth most popular course.

“This shows the rise of the tech industry,” said analyst Oliver Williams of WealthInsight. “In future years, as more and more tech entrepreneurs make it big, we should expect it to move further up the list.”

At 33 in the world, UNSW is the top-ranked Australian university followed by the University of Sydney at 44, the University of Melbourne at 46. Monash University and the University of Western Australia also made the top 100.

UNSW also has an excellent track record for producing and nurturing technology start-ups.

In August 2013, the US website CrunchBase, a leading authority on technology entrepreneurs, ranked universities based on the number of graduates who had started companies in the last 15 years.

UNSW led all Australian universities with 16 founders and co-founders, more than double the amount from the next university, UTS.

Some of the successful UNSW graduate-led companies include software giant Atlassian, BlueChilli, Julpan, ClickView and the education technology companies Smart Sparrow and Open Learning. 

“The benefits accrue not only to our alumni but also to society in general through the jobs these innovative companies create,” said UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Fred Hilmer.

Innovation is just one area of business leadership in which UNSW is excelling.

A recent report from Leading Company and Suncorp shows that more CEOs running ASX100 companies are graduates of UNSW than of any other Australian university.

“These results highlight the advantages and opportunities a UNSW degree provides. We are certainly the place to be for innovation and entrepreneurship,” Professor Hilmer said.

UNSW graduates are in high demand from employers and enjoy among the top starting salaries and employment rates in Australia.

Media contact: Denise Knight, UNSW Media Office, 0405 207 685 | Myles Gough, UNSW Media Office, 02 9385 1933 myles.gough@unsw.edu.au