Higher education buildings serve complex functions by providing spaces for various activities and disciplines. This study aims to understand energy use characteristics of different types of buildings in higher education campuses and to establish an energy benchmark system. The data was collected form 80 university campus buildings in Australia. Energy consumption (EC) and energy use intensity (EUI) as well as related space types and occupancy conditions were analysed. Based on a comparative study of several statistical methods, the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) method was selected as the most appropriate benchmarking technique for this research. The benchmark values for various activities and disciplines were determined using the SFA statistical technique. Regarding activities, buildings which were used mostly for research had the highest benchmark EUI value at 216 kWh/m(2)/year and buildings for academic offices had the lowest benchmark value at 137 kWh/m(2)/year. When considering disciplines, buildings for Science had the highest benchmark EUI value at 164 kWh/m(2)/year and buildings for Health had the lowest benchmark value at 136 kWh/m(2)/year. The energy benchmarks developed for each building type can guide university authorities to promote energy efficiency by evaluating energy use, determining feasible energy saving techniques, and forecasting future planning development. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.