Adelaide University

Adelaide University is a planned public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 2024, it will combine the University of Adelaide, the third-oldest university in Australia, and the University of South Australia (UniSA) which has an antecedent history dating back to 1856. It will be adjacent to the Australian Space Agency in Lot Fourteen, form part of the Adelaide BioMed City research precinct and will have a presence in the Adelaide Technology Park. It is expected to operate concurrently with the two neighbouring universities during a transition period with the merged university formally opening in January 2026.

The two antecedent universities' histories date back to the former Royal South Australian Society of Arts. The University of Adelaide was founded in 1874 by the Union College with studies initially conducted at its Institute Building. The society was also the birthplace of the South Australian Institute of Technology founded in 1889 as the School of Mines and Industries. The institute later became the University of South Australia during the Dawkins Revolution following a merger with amalgamated colleges dating back to the School of Art, also founded at the society. The two universities, which account for approximately three-quarters of the state's public university population, agreed to merge as Adelaide University in mid-2023.

The university will inherit seven campuses including the combined flagship Adelaide City campus in North Terrace, a tech-oriented campus in Mawson Lakes, the Magill campus specialising in social sciences, the Waite campus in Urrbrae and three regional campuses in Roseworthy, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. Its academic activities are currently divided between the two universities, which had a combined revenue of A$1.85 billion in 2023. It will also manage several museums and exhibitions in a range of fields, including the Samstag Museum and Adelaide Planetarium. It has been invited to join the Group of Eight, an association of research-intensive universities in Australia, and will play roles in the Australian space and defence sectors.

Adelaide University alumni, which will include those of the two antecedent universities, include the first female prime minister of Australia, two presidents of Singapore, the first astronaut born in Australia and the first demonstrator of nuclear fusion. The two universities have also produced a combined 117 Rhodes scholars, 173 Fulbright scholars and three Nobel laureates. Its history involve the development of penicillin, space exploration, sunscreen, the military tank, Wi-Fi, polymer banknotes and X-ray crystallography, and the study of viticulture and oenology.