Annual Report 2025

Financial results

The university reported an operating loss of $63 million in 2025. While an improvement on 2024 (which saw an operating loss of $81 million), the university has recorded losses in five out of the six financial years from 2020 – 2025 since COVID-19. This highlights the ongoing and cumulative financial challenges facing UTS, as well as the wider sector.
 
In response, we’ve undertaken significant changes to our academic profile and course portfolio, as well as renewed our operating model. These changes have been difficult but will put UTS on a stronger, more financially and operationally sustainable footing so we can continue to invest and grow our teaching and research priorities and impact.

Our total revenue from teaching, research and other activities was $1.34 billion (up from $1.22 billion in 2024). It’s encouraging that student demand, both international and domestic, remained strong in 2025 despite ongoing challenges such as visa allocations and Commonwealth funding caps.

Teaching revenue grew to $1.1 billion and external research revenue increased to $179 million. At the same time, our expenditure rose to $1.4 billion (up from $1.3 billion in 2024), meaning our costs continued to exceed total revenue.
 

Addressing the structural deficit 

The university has been operating with a structural deficit in which our expenses exceed our revenue. We've undertaken significant organisational change to address this and return to a modest surplus. 

A modest surplus is important as it allows us to reinvest in our core teaching and research priorities and provides a safety margin and buffer against future uncertainty. The 2025 result recognises the associated one-off workforce transition costs (approximately $42 million) required to implement the organisational change and enable long term financial sustainability.

Delivering for our communities

Throughout 2025 we navigated complex challenges and change while continuing to cement our reputation as a distinctive university that combines academic excellence with a collaborative, impact-driven mindset and a strong commitment to diversity, social justice and the self-determination of First Nations Peoples.

We launched the UTS Pathways Plan, opening up non-traditional pathways and increasing access to education for students from diverse backgrounds. Our low-SES access rates continued to grow reaching 7.8 per cent in 2025. 

We also welcomed the largest number of indigenous students in UTS history. This positive momentum will continue with Jumbunna's new Indigenous leadership program, focused on 6 schools with high Indigenous student participation. The program is planned to expand in 2026.

Partnering and innovating

Creativity and innovation remain central to who we are. A key milestone in our Creative Industries Strategy was reached with the establishment of the new Faculty of Design and Society.

We expanded our global reach, becoming the first Australian university to deliver online postgraduate programs entirely in Modern Standard Chinese.  

Our research performance remained strong, ranking 1st in Australia for research citations per faculty (QS World University Rankings) and we remain in the top 100 global universities and Australia’s top young university.  

Our industry and community partnerships continued to grow as we strengthened our reputation as a university preferred by industry. We celebrated strategic partnerships with the Australian Federal Police, Navantia Australia and announced the creation of Australia’s largest industrial scale spacecraft manufacturing facility at UTS Tech Lab. 

We also strengthened our role within Tech Central, Australia’s largest technology and innovation district, cementing our collaboration with Investment NSW and partner organisations and putting our precinct at the heart of NSW’s innovation ecosystem.

Donor generosity in 2025 was broad-based and impactful and continued to grow with a clear and robust pipeline emerging to support future initiatives. Philanthropy supported more than 200 students, and we announced the first-ever U@Uni Equity Scholarships, funded by the Crookes Family Foundation. Research priorities funded through the generosity of our community enabled pioneering reef restoration science, leadership in domestic and gendered violence research, into AI productivity, and ageing and end-of-life research.

Thank you to our UTS community

The successes of the university are made possible through the remarkable efforts of our staff and students, and our supporters and partners in the broader community, industry and in our global alumni network.  

In a challenging year we particularly acknowledge the efforts of staff to continue to drive teaching and research excellence and impact. 

Our operating environment remains complex, with inflationary pressures and ongoing policy constraints including the new managed growth model that will impact domestic enrolments, in addition to continuing constraints on international student numbers. 

Nonetheless, we remain focused on what matters most, providing an excellent student experience and maximising our impact through education and research.  

The hard work we’ve done in 2025 has been significant and will provide a sound financial basis to tackle the future challenges and opportunities. 

Read the Annual Report 2025 here