Administrative Intensity and Financial Sustainability: An Empirical Analysis of the Australian Public University System

However, to date no attempt has been made to investigate the impact of administrative intensity on financial sustainability in the university sector. To address this gap in the literature, this paper examines the impact of administrative intensity on financial sustainability in Australian universities over the period 2009/10 to 2018/19. Our findings show that administrative intensity significantly affects the financial sustainability of Australian universities in a U-shaped form. Moreover, significant differences exist between the different categories of university in the association between administrative intensity and financial sustainability. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of its broader policy implications.