University annual reports are tabled in state parliament
Central Queensland U: COVID caused cuts defined the university’s 2021, with international enrolments down from 8594 in 2019, to 5738 in 2020, to 2724 last year. CSP and domestic full fee numbers were down a couple of hundred, to 17 300. Commensurate job losses are not clear, the report refers to 22 positions “effected by staffing changes” and “contract roles not being renewed.” The employee report does not compare 2020 and ’21 and states “data does not include casual staff. After exit payments, CQU reduced staff costs by $19m.
All up consolidated revenue was down $46m, to $404m and expenses down $65m on 2020 for an operating loss of $21.7m The big decline was in fee income, which nearly halved – from $159m in 2020 to $83m in 2021. It would have been worse without the feds – Commonwealth grants rose from $143m to $185m.
After staff exit payments CQU reduced staff costs by $19m.
Griffith U: Revenue from continuing operations was $1.04bn, up from $967m in 2020. The increase corresponds with a $44m increase in Australian Government grants. Income from fees and charges was down $12m to $227m which may reflect a drop in international student income
Total enrolments were marginally lower last year to just under 50 000, with a 1300 drop in international students, to 7148, down from 9019 in 2019.
James Cook U: The university wants readers to know that ’21 was tough. Describing it as “a challenging year” in the financials and pointing to “the restrictions on international student mobility and the pipeline effect of lower student enrolments.” As to how much lower, who knows – the university only provides a 2021 figure, 14 038 EFTS, “aided by higher commencing intakes at the Singapore campus, coupled with stronger student retention across the university.” All up JCU’s net result was $23.8m on $559m in income. Commonwealth grants, provided $19m more. The university reports a 9 per cent “permanent separation rate” for staff, which it attributes in part to funding, restructuring and “continuous improvement.”
QUT: The university describes continuing COVID savings and a restructure that cut 337 net professional staff positions as “rectitude” which allowed payment of a postponed pay rise. But continuing student growth can’t have hurt. On preliminary numbers, 2021 was the fifth straight year of growth, rising from 49 847 in 2017 total enrolments to 53 255 last year. However international student income last year was down $45m.
Total revenue increased from $1.05bn in 2020 to $1.163bn last year – growth in Commonwealth grants accounted for $50m of this, and “other revenue” an extra $110m.
Uni Queensland: On early stats, last year’s enrolments were up on 2020 – and up on pre-pandemic 2019. Totals were 55,305 in ’19, 54 950 in ’20 and 56 278 last year (heads not EFTS). However there were fewer staff, with academic FTE down 90 or so from 2020, to 2957. The decline in professional FTE was higher, down 198 to 4251. All up, revenue, increased $265m, to $2.385bn. The increase was due to a thumping lift in investment income, from $86m to $217m and the university’s share of the Commonwealth’s emergency increase in research funding – an extra $100m in block grants.
Uni Southern Queensland: Enrolments continued in a slow decline, underway long before the pandemic, from 28 680 in 2015 to 25 281 last year. Investment Income was up $76m, to $84m – largely due to the university accounting for proceeds from the sale of its share of IDP Education. A $9m drop in fee-charges income, to $49m was more than an offset by a $22m increase in Commonwealth grants, to $188m.
Uni Sunshine Coast: Total students were up marginally on 2020, from 18 150 to 18 264, despite international numbers declining by around a third, to 1668. Total FTE staff were down 80, to 1064, with professional FTE accounting for most of the loss. Operating revenue rose from $321m to $334m and expenditure was down $6m to $298m.Increased Commonwealth grants (up $37m to $188m) offset a $15m decline in income from fees and charges.