The University of Western Australia (UWA) was established in 1911 as the State's first university. It was also the first free university in the British Empire, actively promoting equal access to tertiary education for all social classes.

More than 100 years later, the University is now home to nine Faculties and Schools and a number of Research Institutions and Centers which celebrated the University's Centenary in 2013. UWA also entered the internationally-recognized Academic Ranking of World Universities' Top 100 listing, continuing to set the standard for other West Australian universities to follow in terms of recognition for its achievements nationally and internationally.

UWA is a research-intensive university and one of the internationally recognized Australian Group of Eight that also comprises the University of Queensland, The University of Sydney, The University of New South Wales, Australian National University, The University of Melbourne, Monash University and The University of Adelaide. These universities are regarded as the nation’s leading research and comprehensive institutions.

The University’s longer-term aim is to be counted among the top 50 universities in the world by 2050, continuing to play a vital role in scholarship and discovery of global significance.