University of Canberra

History

The University of Canberra was first established in 1967 as the Canberra College of Advanced Education. It became the University of Canberra under sponsorship of Monash University in 1990.

Foundation stone

The foundation stone was unveiled by Prime Minister John Gorton on 28 October 1968. The stone is displayed near Building 1 on the Bruce campus. The inscription reads:

Stonefest

Main article: Stonefest

An annual celebration, called Stone Day, was first held in 1971. It has since evolved into a popular music festival. Stone Day traditionally took place after classes finished at the end of Semester 2, but before exams. The day before was known as Stone Eve. Stone Day involved a music festival with local bands.

Over the years, the Stone Day program grew larger, expanding to a whole week in 1976, and became Stoneweek. In the 1980s and 1990s, Stoneweek was a popular Canberra entertainment event and one of Australia's most popular music festivals. In 2000, the festival became Stonefest.

Beginning in 2012, Stonefest was not held for a number of years at the University of Canberra. In 2014, UC created a mini-music Stonefest festival with a DJ and numerous activities, however it was not received well. In 2019, Stonefest returned, with both local and international acts, but did not run in 2020–2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, returning in 2022.

Campuses and buildings

Bruce

The university's main campus is located in the suburb of Bruce and covers 296 acre of buildings, ovals, gardens, lawns, car parks, roads, walkways, and sculptures. The campus is notable for its native gardens and the presence of kangaroos. There are over 29 buildings dedicated to teaching, research, and administration for the disciplines, faculties and business units. These buildings are concentrated around the main concourse. Each building is numbered and many do not hold any title or namesake. At the northern end of the campus is the University of Canberra Hospital which focuses on rehabilitation.{{cite web|url=https://www.canberra.edu.au/on-campus/facilities/university-of-canberra-hospital|title=University of Canberra Hospital

Facilities

The Refectory is located in Building 1, operated by UCX (the student union). It provides a food court, general shop, pool tables, and lounges, and is also a concert venue. Upstairs there are study rooms which can be booked by students and staff.

The Hub is located under the main concourse, providing a café, hairdressing salon, tattoo parlour, 87.8 UCFM student radio station studio, and social enterprise hub. A bar, convenience store, and several eateries are also available near the student residences.

A sport and fitness centre is located in Building 29 with gym facilities and is home to Brumbies Rugby administration. There are basketball and squash courts nearby in Building 4, and various sporting ovals.

Other sites

The university has satellite campuses in the following locations https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/campus-locations:

• Queensland
  • TAFE Queensland Brisbane (South Bank)
  • TAFE Queensland Brisbane (Mount Gravatt)
• Sydney
  • University of Canberra Sydney Hills campus (Castle Hill)
  • TAFE NSW Northern Sydney (RTO)

Governance and structure

University Council

Main article: List of University of Canberra people#Administration

The governing body of the University of Canberra is its University Council. The current chancellor is Lisa Paul, , a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker who was a long-serving Secretary of the Department of Education and Training.

Professor Stephen Parker is the interim vice-chancellor (VC), University of Canberra brings back former Vice-Chancellor to hold fort for Shorten|publisher=RiotACT|access-date=26 September 2024}} having previously served as VC 2007–2016. Parker took over from Professor Lucy Johnston who was the interim VC following the sudden departure of Professor Paddy Nixon who served as VC from 6 April 2020 to 15 December 2023.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=17 January 2024|title=UC Vice-Chancellor Paddy Nixon steps down after 'four very challenging years'

Faculties and departments

The five faculties are:

;Arts and Design Arts and design specialises in architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, communication studies, culture and heritage, journalism, creative writing and poetry, international studies, and media arts. The faculty has two schools: School of Design and the Built Environment and School of Arts and Communication.

;Business, Government and Law The Business Government and Law Faculty provides courses in accounting, applied economics, business administration, business informatics, construction, economics, finance, law, management, marketing, politics, sociology, public policy, tourism, and urban and regional planning. The Faculty has three schools: Canberra Business School, Canberra Law School, and Canberra School of Politics, Economics & Society.

; Education The Education faculty offers courses designed to cover all stages of teacher development with courses in early childhood, primary and secondary. The faculty is home to the Australian National Museum of Education.

;Health The Faculty of Health prepares a wide range of allied health professionals, including in counselling, exercise science, nursing and midwifery, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and exercise physiology and rehabilitation, psychology, medical imaging, speech pathology, and sports management.

;Science and Technology The Faculty of Science and Technology trains students in environmental sciences, biomedical and forensic as well as information technology, information systems, engineering, and mathematics. The Faculty has two schools: School of Science and the School of Information Technology and Systems.

Finances

Like most Australian universities, University of Canberra derives the majority of its revenue from the Australian Government through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme, student fees, research grants and contracts, commercial activities, and donations. The ACT Government provides around one percent of the university's operating budget.

The university's budget in 2022 was 312.84 million (2022). In 2024, the University of Canberra is expecting a $36 million deficit which triggered emergency spending constraints.{{Cite web|date=24 August 2024|title='Scary' cash crisis looms at record pay university

Academic profile

Research divisions

The university has several research centres relating to its areas of research strength. These are:

• Canberra Urban and Regional Futures
• Centre for Ageing Research and Translation (CARAT)
• Centre for Creative and Cultural Research
• Centre for Research and Action in Public Health
• Centre for Research in Therapeutic Solutions
• Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative
• Health Research Institute
• Institute for Applied Ecology
• Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis
• Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre
• Murray-Darling Basin Futures Collaborative Research Network
• Nexus Research Centre
• News and Media Research Centre
• Research Institute for Sport and Exercise
• STEM Education Research Centre
• SYNERGY Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre

Library

Main article: University of Canberra Library

The University of Canberra Library is located in Building 8. The building has four floors.

Australian National Museum of Education

The Australian National Museum of Education (ANME) has been located in Building 5 of the University since 2003. It holds a collection of items related to the history of education in Australia. The ANME comprises both a repository of documents and artefacts at its University premises, and a distributed national collection which brings together virtually archival material held in schools and school museums throughout Australia. The museum was founded by former teacher, university lecturer and educational consultant Dr Malcolm Beazley AM.

Academic reputation

; National publications In the Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking 2025, the university was tied #31 amongst Australian universities.

; Global publications

In the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (published 2025), the university attained a tied position of #494 (27th nationally).

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 (published 2025), the university attained a position of #401–500 (tied 26–32nd nationally).

In the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities, the university attained a position of #801–900 (30th nationally).

In the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities, the university attained a tied position of #847 (31th nationally).

In the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024, the university attained a position of #1266 (34th nationally).

Student outcomes

The Australian Government's QILT conducts national surveys documenting the student life cycle from enrolment through to employment. These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.

In the 2023 Employer Satisfaction Survey, graduates of the university had an overall employer satisfaction rate of 78.3%.

In the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey, graduates of the university had a full-time employment rate of 85.3% for undergraduates and 92.9% for postgraduates. The initial full-time salary was for undergraduates and for postgraduates.

In the 2023 Student Experience Survey, undergraduates at the university rated the quality of their entire educational experience at 72.7% meanwhile postgraduates rated their overall education experience at 74.5%.

Partnerships and affiliations

UC partners with two local ACT schools: UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra and University of Canberra High School Kaleen. The University of Canberra College provides pathways into university for domestic and international students. UC also shares a memorandum of understanding with the Canberra Institute of Technology which facilitates student educational pathways between the institutions and sharing of some specialist facilities.

Student life

Student demographics

Over 100,000 students have graduated from the university since 1970.

After a rapid period of growth which saw a 78% increase in student enrolments between 2007 and 2014, UC has sustained an annual enrolment of between 11,000 and 12,000 equivalent full-time students.

Student media

An independent radio station, 87.8 UCFM is run by students from the main UC campus.

Sports and athletics

The university has several sporting partnerships including sponsoring the University of Canberra Capitals, a professional women's basketball team, the ACT Brumbies, a professional rugby union team, and the University of Canberra Firebirds, an amateur American football club.

On Saturday 17 June 2023, UC announced a one million dollar sponsorship of, and partnership with, Stromlo Forest Park that will expand its research and teaching activities across a range of sports, tourism, and business opportunities.{{cite web|url=https://www.act.gov.au/our-canberra/latest-news/2023/june/investment-flows-for-stromlo-forest-park|title=Investment flows for Stromlo Forest Park

Student accommodation

There are three on-campus accommodation options for students with a total of 2,476 beds—Campus West, Cooper Lodge, and UC Lodge, all run by UniLodge Australia Pty Ltd. In addition, off-campus accommodations in the neighbouring suburb of Belconnen include Weeden Lodge run by UniLodge and UniGardens run by UniGardens Pty Ltd. These accommodation options are available to all students, including international students.

Notable people

Notable alumni

Main article: List of University of Canberra people

Academics and staff

Notable staff members include/have included:

• Janine Deakin, geneticist
• John Dryzek, political scientist
• Patricia Easteal, professor of law
• Donald Horne, journalist, writer, social critic, historian and public intellectual
• Peter Leahy, former Chief of Army (Australia)
• Michelle Lincoln, speech pathologist and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
• Ingrid Moses, emeritus professor and a former chancellor
• Susan Ryan, one-time Labor government minister

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

References

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