Bond University is Australia's first private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Bond comprises four main university schools and academic faculties, through which it offers a range of accelerated undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and programs, diplomas, and non-award programs.
History
Bond University was established and funded in 1987 by the chairman of
Bond Corporation,
Alan Bond, the president of the Japanese-based Electronics and Industrial Enterprises International (EIE), Harunori Takahashi and Dr Taro Tanioka, in a joint venture to manage the land and construction of the buildings of the university.
The university's buildings and surrounding land initially covered approximately 212 hectares and encompassed what was previously a pine plantation known as the Burleigh Forest.
DEC was managed by Brian Orr who, in 1976, put forward a proposal to the Albert Shire Council for a university at Gaven Forest. While this project did not proceed, a subsequent proposal made in 1986 to build a university at Burleigh Forest did gain traction. Orr discussed the matter with Bond and Peter Beckwith and recruited Jo Anne Cracknell to research the feasibility of venture.
On 3 July 1986, Bond decided to proceed with the project
On 9 April 1987, the Parliament of Queensland granted Bond University university status via the passage of the Bond University Act.[ History | Introducing Bond | Bond University | Gold Coast, Australia . Bond.edu.au (15 May 1989). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.]
In 1991, EIE acquired Bond Corporation's share of the company that controlled the land on which the university buildings were constructed and the surrounding development lands following the collapse of Bond Corporation.
The Bond University Council was not the only entity interested in the site which was advertised for sale in major newspapers. In 1995, the Employment, Education and Training References Committee of the Australian Senate undertook a report into the proposed sale of the campus to the University of Queensland which had outbid the Bond University Council in their earlier negotiations to acquire the site.
In August 1999, the Bond University Council was successful in securing the 50-acre campus site which was acquired by a newly formed public company known as Bond University Limited.
In 2019, the university celebrated its 30-year mark since it opened.
Campus and buildings
The Bond University campus features a series of sandstone buildings centred around human-made Lake Orr. The campus was conceived and developed by master planner
Daryl Jackson of Jackson Architecture with significant input from Queensland architect Robin Gibson. The signature arch building was designed by Japanese architect
Arata Isozaki, inspired by the Arch of Constantine in
Rome, Italy.
Students at Bond University have access to a number of academic, technological and recreational facilities.
Recent alterations to the campus facilities include:
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The re-designed Faculty of Law building, including the John and Alison Kearney Law Library,
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The Balnaves Foundation Multimedia Learning Centre, named in honour of university benefactor, Dr Neil Balnaves, AO – a $3.4million technology-rich student facility opened in March 2010
[ News | News & Events | Bond University | Gold Coast, Australia . Bond.edu.au (1 March 2010). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.] In January 2017, a new Digital Media Hub was added to the facility, including a micro-studio featuring a green screen, study lounge areas, and individual digital media workstations.
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Limitless, a sculpture by Gold Coast artist Ian Haggerty, was revealed at Bond University to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Other campus facilities at Bond University include:
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The Bond Institute of Health & Sport, a teaching and training facility located four kilometres from the main campus, is composed of clinical skills rooms, simulation spaces, and specialised teaching rooms for allied health programs and research including occupational therapy, physiotherapy and nutrition and dietetics.
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The Legal Skills Centre, situated within the Faculty of Law, officially opened by Governor-General, Quentin Bryce AC, in March 2011.
[ Governor-General opens Bond extension Local Gold Coast News | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia . goldcoast.com.au (11 March 2011). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.][ 2011 | Faculty of Law | Bond University | Gold Coast, Australia . Bond.edu.au (15 March 2011). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.] The Legal Skills Centre includes a full-scale electronic moot court.
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The ADCO Amphitheatre – an outdoor amphitheatre and Alumni Court sponsored by ADCO Constructions - opened in September 2009.
[ News | News & Events | Bond University | Gold Coast, Australia . Bond.edu.au (21 September 2009). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.]
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The Macquarie Trading Room, opened by Queensland Deputy Premier Anna Bligh in May 2007, providing students with a simulated trading environment in two industry-standard trading facilities, including live ticker screens and market data from 40 Bloomberg terminals, the most of any university in Australia.
[ Macquarie Trading Room (About) | Faculty of Business | Bond University | Gold Coast, Australia . Bond.edu.au. Retrieved on 17 July 2013.]
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The Sports Centre is a new sporting facility measuring 2,700 sqm that opened in May 2016.
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In 2008, the Bond University Sustainable Development Building was officially opened by the then Prime Minister Julia Gillard
[ Official opening of the Bond University Mirvac Centre for Sustainable Development | Ministers' Media Centre . Ministers.deewr.gov.au (11 August 2008). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.] and was the first in Australia to achieve a 6 Star Green Star – Education PILOT Certified Rating for design by the Green Building Council of Australia.[ Bond University achieves first 6 Star Green Star - Education PILOT rating - Industry news - Green Building Council Australia . GBCA. Retrieved on 17 July 2013.]
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In 2006, the Prime Minister John Howard opened the then $20 million Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine building (although the first intake of students was in May 2005),
[ Anatomy & Histology Labs | Facilities & Services | Bond University | Gold Coast, Australia . Bond.edu.au. Retrieved on 17 July 2013.]
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The $16.2 million Soheil Abedian School of Architecture building was designed by Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham from CRAB Studios in London and opened in October 2013.
[ Bond University to bring in 'new era' of Coast architects - myGC.com.au News . Mygc.com.au. Retrieved on 17 July 2013.] The building includes an innovative workshop and digital fabrication lab facilities.
In 2001, the university established an online MBA course, the Bond-BBT Global Leadership MBA, collaborated with Kenichi Ohmae and Business Breakthrough Inc. in Japan.
Governance and structure
Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor
The current and eighth chancellor of the university since 2016 is Annabelle Bennett, , a retired judge of the Federal Court of Australia and an academic.
The current
vice-chancellor and president of the university since January 2012 is
Tim Brailsford.
Faculties and departments
The university has four faculties to support both research and teaching activities.
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Bond Business School
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Faculty of Law
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Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine
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Faculty of Society and Design
Academic profile
Academic reputation
- National publications
In the
Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking 2024, the university was ranked #9 amongst Australian universities.
- Global publications
In the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (published 2025), the university attained a tied position of #591 (30th nationally).
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 (published 2025), the university attained a position of #401–500 (tied 26–32nd nationally).
In the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities, the university attained a tied position of #1296 (37th nationally).
Student outcomes
The Australian Government's QILT conducts national surveys documenting the student life cycle from enrolment through to employment.
These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction
than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.
In the 2023 Employer Satisfaction Survey, graduates of the university had an overall employer satisfaction rate of 78.9%.
In the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey, graduates of the university had a full-time employment rate of 79.2% for undergraduates and 89.1% for postgraduates.
In the 2023 Student Experience Survey, undergraduates at the university rated the quality of their entire educational experience at 88.3% meanwhile postgraduates rated their overall education experience at 82.7%.
Student life
Student association
The Bond University Student Association (BUSA) is a student organisation that aims to make student life at Bond more rewarding, ranging from enhancing academic pursuits, facilitating sporting involvement and satisfying social necessities.
Sports and athletics
Sports teams in national and state-level competitions based at Bond include Bond University Rugby Club that plays in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition, and the Bond University Bullsharks club that plays in the Queensland Football Association Division 1 (QFA Division 1) competition.
[
] Bond University fields soccer teams within Football Queensland South Coast and Football Queensland competitions.
The Bond University Student Association (BUSA) assists with the university's participation in intervarsity sport on a regional and national level.[[11] ]
Bond University was named the overall champions at the Northern University Games (NUG) in July 2011,
Student accommodation
Bond University Student Housing caters for both domestic and international students, with a range of housing on campus. Bond University is centrally located on the Gold Coast, in the suburb of Robina.
Notable people
Controversies
Australian Human Rights Commission Data and Report
In 2017, Bond University, in conjunction with all Australian universities, participated in a national report undertaken by the Australian Human Rights Commission to tackle the issue of sexual harassment and assault.
The Vice Chancellor of Bond University acknowledged the survey results saying, “Today is a wake-up call, and we understand that the issue of sexual harassment and assault is real and attitudes need to change, both in society and within the university sector. One case is one case too many. We are supportive of the recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission, and have already implemented the majority of the measures they have proposed.”
See also
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List of universities in Australia
Footnotes
External links
