Study Toowoomba 

Toowoomba is Australia’s second-largest inland city after the nation’s capital and has rich traditions in educational excellence. As one of Australia’s most liveable cities, Toowoomba is a wonderful place to enjoy a world-class, safe and inclusive educational experience.

The Toowoomba Region has bold ambitions to burgeon as an education and training hub and to welcome increasing numbers of international students to our outstanding schools and universities.

Home to more than 160,000 people, the Toowoomba Region provides the best of metropolitan and rural lifestyles. The city is renowned for its internationally accredited educational institutions and has developed major retail and hospitality attractions in recent years.

Toowoomba acts as a major agriculture and mining services hub for the surrounding region but also has a growing supply of professional services jobs in other industries. Health care and social assistance is the largest employer in the Toowoomba Region, which is a major health and wellbeing hub providing health services for around 300,000 people residing in the wider Region.

Only 90 minutes by car from Brisbane, Toowoomba is within a short drive of the greater South East Queensland region, home to over 3.5 million people. The city is also connected by air, via Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, to the major capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne with international connections beyond.

The Toowoomba Region’s rich traditions and bold ambitions deliver a unique charm and distinctive energy and we invite domestic and international students to experience our warm hospitality.

Labour Market Advantage

In 2018, the Toowoomba Region generated more than 85,000 jobs. In 2018, there was an estimated $14.4 billion pipeline of infrastructure developments supporting strong future demand for work. The buoyant local economy provides many opportunities for students and graduates.

• There are more jobs than local resident workers meaning the city is an employment destination for surrounding areas.
• The economy has been growing faster than the state average in recent years, with Gross Regional Product increasing by 3.6% per annum on average for the past 10 years.
• The unemployment rate was 5% in June 2018 and has been below the Queensland average for the last five years. This reflects a healthy economy where the demand for labour is still strong.
• In 2016, 31% of international students in Toowoomba were in employment, compared to 24% for Brisbane and 29% for the Gold Coast (ABS Census, 2016).
• The share of the local Toowoomba Region workforce born overseas increased from 12% to 14% between 2011 and 2016.

Main employing sectors, 2018

Source: NIEIR, 2018

Job growth last five years

Source: NIEIR, 2018

Lifestyle advantage

Toowoomba is one of Australia’s most liveable cities with an abundance of green space, cultural services and recreational facilities, supported by an affordable housing market. Toowoomba is an internationally accredited safe community, making it a desirable destination for international students, migrants and tourists.

Highlights of living in the city include:

• Grand Central Shopping Centre which offers over 50 fashion stores, including global high street brands like H&M, a 5-screen cinema, a 550-seat food court and 140 specialty stores.

• Inner-city dining options, many located in laneways throughout the CBD.

• The largest performing arts precinct in regional Australia, boasting several performance and function spaces and serving as an entertainment hub. The heritage-listed Empire Theatre is renowned for its classic art deco architecture and has played an integral role in the cultural development of our Region.

• Major festivals including the famous 10-day Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers which attracts over 250,000 visitors across all events. The city also regularly hosts large sporting events including pre-season National Rugby League and Super Rugby matches.

• Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport provides over 80 direct flights a week to interstate capitals and the option to directly link with overseas destinations.

• The city is only 1.5 hours from Brisbane and 2 hours to the sandy beaches of the Gold Coast.

• Toowoomba is located on the edge of the Great Dividing Range and is surrounded by a Region of beautiful rolling plains.

• As Australia’s Garden City, Toowoomba is the perfect place to pack a picnic, relax and enjoy one of our 150-plus parks and gardens.

Employee incomes, 24 years and under, 2016

Source: ABS, 2018, Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, 2011-16

Whilst housing costs are well below larger areas in South East Queensland, income levels of young adults are in fact, actually above average. This creates a substantial affordability advantage for students and new workers.

• The average young adult in the Toowoomba Region was earning $27,000 per annum in 2016, higher than those living in Brisbane or the Gold Coast. Those in professional occupations were earning $5,000 per annum more.

• Higher income levels aside, housing costs are still extremely affordable. The cost of renting a three-bedroom home in Toowoomba was $200 per week cheaper in 2018 than on the Gold Coast, and $125 per week cheaper than in Brisbane.

Median weekly rent, 2018

Source: REIQ, 2018, Queensland Market Monitor

Education advantage

Toowoomba is known for having some of the best educational facilities in Queensland.

• Study Toowoomba is a Queensland Government initiative promoting and supporting educational excellence in the Toowoomba Region. This newly-established peak body represents education and training stakeholders dedicated to supporting students who choose to study in Toowoomba. Study Toowoomba will be instrumental in marketing the Toowoomba Region as the destination of choice for international students.

• Toowoomba is the founding location of the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), with programs offered at its main campus, via online education and with national and international education partners. The university is a founding member of the Regional Universities Network and is internationally awarded for its world-class online learning platforms and research expertise in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

• TAFE Queensland’s Toowoomba campus is a major asset for the Region with its courses tailored in consultation with employers in a range of sectors. International students can enhance English language skills, get trade qualified, or complete a professional-level qualification across a wide variety of industry areas. A new Rural Centre for Excellence will focus on educational opportunities and innovation in sustainable agriculture and horticulture practices. The campus incorporates real-world training facilities including Futures, a fully licensed training restaurant.

• The Toowoomba Region is home to 90 highly-regarded government and independent schools which service the broader Darling Downs region for junior, middle and senior schooling. Eight of these schools offer outstanding boarding facilities to regional, interstate and overseas students. Many schools offer family homestay for international students or a combination of boarding and homestay options.

• The following independent schools in Toowoomba are on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS):

∙ Toowoomba Anglican School | Co-educational kindergarten – year 12 | Boarding facilities available years 1 -12

∙ Concordia College | Co-educational prep – year 12 | Boarding facilities available years 7-12

∙ Fairholme College | Girls kindergarten – year 12 | Boarding facilities available years 5-12

∙ The Glennie School | Girls kindergarten – year 12 | Boarding facilities available years 6-12

∙ Toowoomba Grammar School | Boys prep – year 12 | Boarding facilities available years 5-12

∙ St Ursula's College | Girls years 7- 12 | Boarding facilities available years 7-12

∙ Downlands College | Co-educational years 4 – 12 | Boarding facilities available years 4-12

∙ Highlands Christian College | Co-educational prep – year 12

∙ St Saviour's College | Girls years 7 – 12 |Boarding facilities available years 7-12

• Several CRICOS registered government schools located in Toowoomba also actively host international students for study tours and long-term exchanges, including:

∙ Centenary Heights State High School Co-educational years 7 – 12

∙ Toowoomba State High School Co-educational years 7 – 12

∙ Harristown State High School Co-educational years 7 – 12

∙ Wilsonton State High School Co-educational years 7 – 12

• Educational tourism provider, Camp Cooby, offers experiential learning experiences in outdoor education and leadership, social and emotional wellbeing, entrepreneurship and innovation, and environmental sustainability. Students of all ages engage in an active learning curriculum in combination with a unique Australian adventure camping experience. The team at Camp Cooby include qualified teachers, scientists, outdoor educators, psychologists, business innovators, and adventurous program staff.

• The University of Queensland’s Rural Clinical School delivers a clinical training program to medical students through a mix of public, private and allied healthcare providers in a modern facility adjacent to the Toowoomba Hospital. The school includes a clinical skills laboratory, clinical simulation facilities and a medical library.

• Queensland Rural Medical Education has partnered with Griffith University to promote and advance rural and remote health practise through training, research and collaboration with government and strategic health agencies. Qualified clinical educators deliver programs for high school students, medical students, practitioners, healthcare providers and research focusing on rural health.

• Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH) is a University Department of Rural Health, a Commonwealth-funded collaboration between the University of Queensland, the University of Southern Queensland, Darling Downs Health and South West Hospital and Health Service. SQRH delivers effective rural training opportunities for nursing, midwifery and allied health students.

• Qantas has chosen the Toowoomba Region as the home of its first Qantas Group Pilot Academy. Purpose-built training facilities and student accommodation, together with a world-class pilot school, will be open to students from Australia and around the globe in 2019.

• The USQ School of Creative Arts supports performing and visual arts. The McGregor Retreats have a 50-year history of offering a range of artistic workshops covering everything from watercolour to woodwork.

• The city extends a warm welcome to hundreds of international students each year with the COOEE International Student Welcome Event. The Australian-themed event includes an official welcome from the Toowoomba Region Mayor.

University of Southern Queensland (USQ)

• No. 1 University in Australia for starting graduate salary

• No. 3 for graduates in full-time employment

• 28,000 students from 110 countries

Source: USQ, 2018; Good Education Group, 2018

The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) is highly regarded for its student experience and research expertise in advanced engineering, environmental sciences and regional economics.

For international students, USQ offers:

• Education partners in Malaysia, Mauritius, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and Vietnam

• Dedicated student support

• Scholarship opportunities

• Study tour and English language programs

• Accommodation within residential colleges and homestays

• Free airport collection and transfer to accommodation for newly arrived students

• International student career advice

• Student welfare, health, counselling and wellbeing

• Multi-faith support services

• Regular student events and activities

Related information

Industry Profile - Education and Training

Industry profile - Education (Chinese version)

University of Southern Queensland website

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise website

TAFE Queensland South West website