After costly appeal and dispute over research standards, religious institution becomes Australia’s 44th university
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Australian College of Theology is the third theological institution to get university status since 2020, demonstrating growing power of religious providers. A college that describes itself as Australia’s largest provider of theological education has become the nation’s 44th university, ending years of costly appeals and demonstrating the growing power of small religious providers.
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The Australian College of Theology (ACT) – which will be renamed the Australian University of Theology – is the third religious institution to receive full university status since 2020. In 2021, the Seventh-day Adventist church-owned Avondale University and theological school the University of Divinity were elevated to Australian university status, joining the Australian Catholic University, which faced backlash last year over a speech denouncing abortion and same-sex marriage made by a guest speaker at its graduation ceremony.
On Wednesday, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Teqsa) confirmed the ACT would follow suit, concluding a multi-year review process with the tribunal over whether the quality of the college’s research was high enough to be deemed a university.
The ACT says its chief purpose is to “equip people to faithfully serve God’s church and God’s world” through qualifications in ministry, theology and Christian studies. The ACT dean and CEO, Prof James Dalziel, said he was pleased the institution’s “long-term effort has been externally recognised”.
