Adelaide University in the context of "South Australian Society of Arts"

The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are adjacent to the Australian Space Agency in Lot Fourteen and forms part of the Adelaide BioMed City research precinct. It also has a presence in the Adelaide Technology Park in Mawson Lakes. In mid-2023, it agreed to merge with the neighbouring University of Adelaide to form Adelaide University. The merger has been under way since 2024, with the merged university formally opening in January 2026, with the closure of the exisiting institutions planned for 31 March 2026 when the University of Adelaide Act 1971 and University of South Australia Act 1990 are repealed.

Its earliest antecedent institutions were both founded in the Jubilee Exhibition Building of the former Royal South Australian Society of Arts. The South Australian Institute of Technology was founded in 1889 as the School of Mines and Industries and the South Australian College of Advanced Education dates back to the School of Art in 1856. The institute later gained university status during the Dawkins Revolution following their merger in 1991. Its expansion over three decades, including to sites on the west end of North Terrace, and broadening fields of studies later contributed to its status as the state's largest university with 34,878 students in 2023.

The University of Adelaide is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many sandstone buildings of historical and architectural significance, such as Bonython Hall. Its royal charter awarded by Queen Victoria in 1881 allowed it to become the second university in the English-speaking world to confer degrees to women. It plans to merge with the neighbouring University of South Australia to form Adelaide University on 5 January 2026with the closure of the exisiting institutions planned for 31 March 2026 when the University of Adelaide Act 1971 and University of South Australia Act 1990 are repealed.

The university was founded at the former Royal South Australian Society of Arts by the Union College and studies were initially conducted at its Institute Building. The society was also the original birthplace of the South Australian Institute of Technology as the School of Mines and Industries. The institute later became the University of South Australia during the Dawkins Revolution following a merger with an advanced college dating back to the School of Art, also founded at the society. The two universities, which then accounted for approximately three-quarters of the state's public university population, agreed to merge in mid-2023. The future combined institution will be rebranded as Adelaide University, previously a colloquial name for the university, with the merged state expected to become operational by 2026.