The University of Southern Queensland is a public research university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, the sixth largest city in the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1967 after a successful campaign by the local Darling Downs community, the university is a founding member of the Regional Universities Network.
The main Toowoomba campus occupies a large area of south-western Toowoomba in the suburb of Darling Heights. Campuses in Ipswich and Springfield also exist, and the university operates the Inala University Study Hub. The university owns and operates the Mount Kent Observatory, which is the only professional astronomical research observatory in Queensland. The Ravensbourne Field Studies Centre, which acts as a research centre for environmental science, is also operated by the university.
The University is organised into five academic schools and offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees across a broad range of disciplines. Research activity is supported through four research institutes: the Institute for Agriculture, Climate and the Environment; the Institute for Communities and Regional Development; the Institute for Health; and the Institute for Space, Defence and Advanced Technologies. Recent notable research includes the discovery of Gliese 12 b, an Earth-like planet 40 light years away making it the closest located to date.
The University of Southern Queensland is recognised among the world's leading universities. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, UniSQ was ranked in the 351-400 band globally. In the QS World University Rankings 2026, UniSQ was ranked 410th in the world.