Gold Coast's most educated suburbs

Casuarina tops the ranking, where 46% of residents aged 15 and over hold a bachelor degree or higher (822 people). Mermaid Beach and Currumbin follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 64 eligible Gold Coast suburbs.

This page ranks Gold Coast suburbs by the share of residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census — the metro's most university-qualified neighbourhoods. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.

Shares are the count of Gold Coast residents aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree, graduate diploma or certificate, or postgraduate degree, divided by all residents aged 15 and over — the ABS non-school-qualification universe, so children aren't counted in the base. The figures come from the 2021 Census. Percentile ranks are computed within Gold Coast's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs. This is descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation.

Gold Coast's most educated suburbs

Ranked by the share of residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents — where the most university-qualified residents are concentrated.

1

Casuarina

NSW 2487 · 3,256 residents

46.0% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 822 graduates

C 100.0
2

Mermaid Beach

QLD 4218 · 7,329 residents

45.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 2,111 graduates

A 98.4
3

Currumbin

QLD 4223 · 3,278 residents

44.6% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 843 graduates

A 96.8
4

Benowa

QLD 4217 · 9,889 residents

44.2% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 2,364 graduates

A+ 95.2
5

Clear Island Waters

QLD 4226 · 4,395 residents

43.6% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,050 graduates

A 93.7
6

Bundall

QLD 4217 · 4,895 residents

43.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,154 graduates

A 92.1
7

Main Beach

QLD 4217 · 3,998 residents

41.2% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,054 graduates

B 90.5
8

Currumbin Valley

QLD 4223 · 2,084 residents

40.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 484 graduates

B 88.9
9

Varsity Lakes

QLD 4227 · 16,493 residents

39.9% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 3,578 graduates

B 87.3
10

Broadbeach Waters

QLD 4218 · 8,164 residents

39.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,813 graduates

B 85.7
11

Robina

QLD 4226 · 25,659 residents

39.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 5,474 graduates

A 84.1
12

Miami

QLD 4220 · 7,445 residents

39.7% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,761 graduates

B 82.5
13

Arundel

QLD 4214 · 11,171 residents

38.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 2,231 graduates

B 81.0
14

Southport

QLD 4215 · 36,786 residents

38.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 8,276 graduates

B 79.4
15

Mermaid Waters

QLD 4218 · 13,088 residents

38.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 2,700 graduates

A 77.8

Ranked from 64 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

100% share of residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census (bachelor, graduate diploma/certificate and postgraduate totals divided by all residents aged 15+), percentile-ranked within Gold Coast's candidate pool. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify, and the larger absolute number of graduates breaks ties. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are Gold Coast's most educated suburbs?

Casuarina tops the ranking, where 46% of residents aged 15 and over hold a bachelor degree or higher (822 people). Mermaid Beach and Currumbin follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 64 eligible Gold Coast suburbs.

How is this ranking put together?

Each Gold Coast suburb is ranked by the share of its residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census — that count divided by all residents aged 15+. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Gold Coast's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs.

What counts as a bachelor degree or higher?

The Census non-school-qualification levels at bachelor and above: a bachelor degree, a graduate diploma or graduate certificate, and a postgraduate degree. It's measured against residents aged 15 and over — the group the Census asks about qualifications — so children aren't counted in the base and the share isn't diluted.

Where does the data come from?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census question on non-school qualifications. Nothing is estimated or inferred about any individual, and this is a factual demographic snapshot rather than a judgement about any suburb.

How current is it?

The figures are from the 2021 Census, the most recent available until results from the August 2026 Census are released in 2027. The top 15 is recomputed whenever we refresh the census data.

Same list in other cities

Related

Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

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