Core business

Excellence (Research, Education)

Research

Monash University research continued to improve its standing across many key indicators in 2021, including global university rankings, research income and highly cited researchers. For every dollar of research funding we receive, Monash contributes approximately an additional dollar, in the support of research of the highest international quality that addresses global challenges, and to develop understanding and solutions for the betterment of our communities.

  • Rankings

    Monash has continued to improve its position in Academic Ranking of the World Universities (ARWU), Times Higher Education (THE) and US News and World Report (USNWR).

  • Highly Cited Researchers

    Nineteen Monash academics names among the world’s most influential researchers in their fields as part of Clarivate’s 2021 list of Highly Cited Researchers.

  • Funding

    $60,729,423 awarded from Australian Research Council.

  • Funding

    $110,692,955 awarded from National Health and Medical Research Council.

  • Funding

    $63,947,237 awarded from Medical Research Future Fund.

  • International funding

    Over $46 million awarded from international organisations for Monash and Monash-led collaboration projects.

  • Research Infrastructure

    All research platforms were successful in compliance to the ISO9001 quality management system. The Monash-led Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE)  Program was awarded ISO9001 for its laboratories in Fiji and Indonesia.

  • Research training

    Monash maintained its position as the Group of Eight university with the highest load share of graduate research students in 2021. There were 5512 enrolled candidates across all campuses and locations in Australia and overseas.

Research highlights

Education

In 2021, Monash University continued to provide high-quality teaching and learning under the significant pressures and unpredictability of COVID-19. We transformed our educational offering to enable our students to complete their studies in a virtual environment, where necessary. We were able to significantly enhance on-campus and online learning, and conduct assessments remotely. The year saw high full-time graduate employment rates and new opportunities for students around the world to study with Monash.

  • Study plans

    More than 8000 personalised study plans were provided to students who were unable to return to an Australian campus.

  • Student success

    In semester one, 23.1 per cent of all units completed by students saw the student achieve a high distinction with 77.3 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing that they were satisfied with their units of study.

  • Online education

    Monash’s Virtual Environment provided essential support for students studying remotely and Monash’s live-streaming program (LIVE) saw more than 20,000 students each week attending lectures in real-time.

  • Study centres

    Offshore study centres were established in Suzhou and Shanghai to support international students waiting for borders to reopen.

  • eAssessments

    170,078 eAssessment sittings took place, and 79 per cent of these were supervised remotely.

  • Graduate outcomes

    There were 70.3 per cent of bachelor graduates who found full-time employment within six months of completing their studies, and 80.5 per cent of students who completed postgraduate degrees were working full-time within six months of completion.

  • Peer mentoring

    Peer mentoring continued in its second year, with students who attended the program reporting a 29.7 per cent improvement in identifying and understanding when and how to get help, a 38.9 per cent improvement in their knowledge of the University’s academic support services, and an 18.5 per cent improvement in confidence in their approach to learning and assessment.

International

Monash University continued to navigate the ongoing disruptions of COVID-19 in regard to its international engagements in education and research, and across its global sites and presences. The University developed and implemented ways of sustaining international engagement through new models of education, research and digital collaboration. We continued to work with the higher education sector and state and federal governments to prepare for, and facilitate, the return of international students to Australian campuses in a safe, secure and timely manner, while also preparing for the safe reactivation of international experiences for students at Monash campuses outside Australia and at our international partner universities.

Enterprising

Monash University has continues to build deeper connections and enduring partnerships with industry, government and global communities.

Inclusive

Scholarships

  • Implemented a new scholarship structure providing clarity for students and donors and focused on increasing the level of financial support to students from under-represented communities.

Equity, access and diversity – low socio economic status

  • Access and participation rates for students from low-SES backgrounds increased – in 2021, 28.4 per cent of commencing domestic undergraduate students were from a low-SES background (an increase from 28 per cent in 2020), and 27 per cent of all domestic undergraduate students were from a low-SES background (an increase from 26.6 per cent in 2020). The proportion of students from low-SES communities accessing postgraduate study rose from 26.4 per cent in 2020 to 27.2 per cent in 2021.
  • The Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) and Monash Guarantee Scheme continued to support students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to access the University. There was an increase in students eligible for both schemes in 2021, which resulted in a higher number of offers being made to students from low- SES communities, and a subsequent increase in the number of enrolments of low-SES students. Due to new SEAS considerations, including the 2019 bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic, there was a substantial increase in the number of offers under SEAS, from 1037 students in 2020 to 1677 students in 2021.
  • In 2021, 14 new Monash Humanitarian Scholarships were awarded, with 63 students receiving a scholarship to cover full course fees and a study support allowance.
  • The Access Monash Mentoring program delivered intensive one-on-one mentoring by Monash students to Year 11 and 12 students from low-SES backgrounds aspiring to attend university. In 2021, the program was successfully delivered online to 670 mentees across 41 schools, with the support of 449 mentors. Analysis of the mentoring program showed that mentees who enrol at Monash have a higher  retention rate in comparison to other under-represented school students.
  • Recruitment of students from low-SES communities for alumni mentoring programs continued to be a focus in 2021. The Betty Amsden AO Alumni Mentoring program supported a number of Monash final-year students from low-SES backgrounds to transition successfully into the workforce and beyond. On completion of the program, mentees expressed that they felt greater clarity regarding their career goals and aspirations, and greater preparedness for the transition to graduate positions or further study.

2021 Annual Report

Read the Report of the Council of Monash University for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Read the report