News & Views item - August 2005

 

 

University Receives 16% of its 2005 Budget from Uncontested Federal Government Grants. (August 24, 2005)

    Sydney Universities Vice-Principal, Don Wilson in the August issue of The University of Sydney Gazette told his readers that "in 2005 the University will receive only 16 per cent of its more than $1 billion budget from uncontested Federal Government grants."

 

Wilson, who came to Sydney University a year ago from Colorado College in the US has instituted, as TFW reported in April, an increased effort to enlist funds from the university's alumni. In 2004 it obtained $29.8 million from 5,950 donors.

 

He further points out:

The continued growth in student fee income/HECS and the relative decline of funding through the Commonwealth Operating Grants means that the proportion of University revenue from HECS and student fee income increased to 33.4 per cent (from 31.4 per cent in 2003), compared to the Commonwealth Operating Grants proportion of 15.8 per cent, which is down from 18.7 per cent in 2003.

    The increased revenue from students of $44.1 million included additional fees from:

        > overseas students of $22 million

        > local postgraduate students of $2 million

        > HECS upfront payments by students of $4.6 million, and

        > HECS and Commonwealth loan program grants of $10.7 million.

Wilson also writes that in 2004 research and consultancies accounted for $235.3 million of which Commonwealth research funded contributed $209.1 million of 89%.

 

$246.7 million was obtained from "private sources" the main elements of which were investment income ($58.6 million), external organisation contributions ($25.9 million), commercial activities ($25.9 million - no figure is given as to how much was spent to generate the $25.9 million), donations ($29.8 million) and miscellaneous which included gross proceeds from asset sales ($49.7 million).

 

The two charts below give a graphic comparison of income and expenditure of 2003 and 2004.

 

 

Credit: The University of Sydney Gazette

 

 


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