Newcastle's most educated suburbs

The Hill tops the ranking, where 66% of residents aged 15 and over hold a bachelor degree or higher (955 people). New Lambton Heights and Cooks Hill follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 83 eligible Newcastle suburbs.

This page ranks Newcastle 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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs. This is descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation.

Newcastle'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

The Hill

NSW 2300 · 2,076 residents

66.0% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 955 graduates

B 100.0
2

New Lambton Heights

NSW 2305 · 2,610 residents

57.6% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 857 graduates

B 98.8
3

Cooks Hill

NSW 2300 · 3,774 residents

57.5% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,388 graduates

B 97.6
4

Merewether

NSW 2291 · 11,788 residents

56.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 4,009 graduates

C 96.3
5

Newcastle

NSW 2300 · 3,852 residents

54.4% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,515 graduates

B 95.1
6

Islington

NSW 2296 · 2,026 residents

51.9% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 667 graduates

B 93.9
7

Dudley

NSW 2290 · 2,505 residents

50.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 723 graduates

B 92.7
8

Adamstown Heights

NSW 2289 · 5,621 residents

49.1% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,492 graduates

A 91.5
9

Hamilton

NSW 2303 · 4,614 residents

48.9% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,366 graduates

B 90.2
10

Rankin Park

NSW 2287 · 2,547 residents

47.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 672 graduates

B 89.0
11

Carrington

NSW 2294 · 2,061 residents

46.7% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 559 graduates

B 87.8
12

New Lambton

NSW 2305 · 10,651 residents

46.5% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 2,742 graduates

B 86.6
13

Kotara

NSW 2289 · 3,980 residents

45.5% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 987 graduates

C 85.4
14

Hamilton South

NSW 2303 · 4,057 residents

45.4% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,023 graduates

B 84.2
15

Adamstown

NSW 2289 · 6,335 residents

45.2% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,572 graduates

B 82.9

Ranked from 83 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 Newcastle'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 Newcastle's most educated suburbs?

The Hill tops the ranking, where 66% of residents aged 15 and over hold a bachelor degree or higher (955 people). New Lambton Heights and Cooks Hill follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 83 eligible Newcastle suburbs.

How is this ranking put together?

Each Newcastle 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 Newcastle'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 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

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