Victoria University (VU or Vic Uni) is an Australian

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria. It is a dual-sector university, providing courses in both

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

and

technical and further education Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...

(TAFE). The university has several campuses in

Melbourne Central Business District The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...

, Melbourne Western Region, and in Sydney and Brisbane, and online.

History

The idea for a

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

based in the western suburbs of Melbourne was first proposed in 1910. The Footscray Technical School opened its doors to 220 students and 9 teachers in 1916 after five years of

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

. Charles Archibald Hoadley was the school's principal from its founding until his death in 1947. Under Hoadley's leadership, the school expanded and began offering trade certificate courses,

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

s in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

, and

contracting A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of those a ...

, as well as evening classes. War and the Depression saw a dip in student numbers. However, by 1943, there were 2500 students enrolled in courses taught at the

Footscray Park Footscray Park is one of the largest and most intact examples of an Edwardian park in Australia. The 15-hectare park is located on the south bank of the Maribyrnong River in Footscray in Victoria. It is classified as a heritage place on th ...

and Footscray Nicholson campuses. The following decades saw gender and cultural shifts. In 1958, the school changed its name to the Footscray Technical College. Ten years later, it changed its name again, this time, to the Footscray Institute of Technology (FIT). Women first enrolled in day diploma courses in 1960, and changes to the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

immigration policy Immigration law includes the national statutes, regulations, and legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as naturalization and citizenship, although the ...

resulted in many more European and Asian students entering the school. The secondary school component, now known as Footscray City College, was separated from the rest of the institute in 1972. By the mid-1970s, the expanded curriculum included

degree courses An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

and was well beyond the technical focus of the original Footscray Technical School. Further changes occurred in the 1980s, with the technical and trade education section separating from FIT to form the Footscray and Newport Colleges of TAFE. In 1990, FIT merged with the Western Institute, which had been founded three years earlier to provide TAFE and higher education courses to the outlying suburbs in western Melbourne. In 1990, it was established as a university by the Victoria State Parliament as Victoria University of Technology (VUT). The university further amalgamation with the Western Melbourne Institute of TAFE in 1998. In 2005, the Victoria University of Technology Act of 1990 was amended to rename the university as Victoria University, reflecting the development of its teaching and research. The institutions that combined to form VU include: * Footscray Technical School, renamed Footscray Technical College and later Footscray Institute of Technology * Newport Technical College, renamed Newport College of TAFE * Melbourne School of Hairdressing * School of Painting, Decorating and Sign Crafts * Melbourne Technical College of Hairdressing * Melbourne College of Decoration * Footscray College of TAFE * Flagstaff College of TAFE * Western Institute * Gellibrand College of TAFE, renamed Western Metropolitan College of TAFE * Western Melbourne Institute of TAFE * Victoria University of Technology * Victoria Polytechnic

Campuses and buildings

Victoria University has campuses located throughout Melbourne's western region and the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

. The new VU City Tower will be Melbourne's tallest vertical campus, and is due for completion in 2021. One campus is located in central Sydney. VU courses are also delivered by partner institutes throughout Asia, including in China, India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Two of the university's largest partners are Sunway University College in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Liaoning University Liaoning University (LNU; ) is a public university founded in 1948 in Shenyang, Shenyang, Liaoning, China. It is affiliated with the Province of Liaoning, and co-funded by the Liaoning Provincial People's Government and the Ministry of Education ...

in China.

Footscray Park

Footscray Park Campus on Ballarat Road, Footscray is the university's main campus and administrative centre. It offers higher education courses primarily in engineering, education and sport-related disciplines. It occupies a site overlooking

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The race ...

and the

Maribyrnong River The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Course The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near Mount Macedon within ...

. The A$68.5 million sport and learning precinct, including sport and exercise science research labs, was completed in early 2011. The campus also has a 25-metre swimming pool and a childcare centre.

St Albans

St Albans Campus on McKenchie Street,

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, is the university's health and education hub, with a focus on psychology, nursing, arts, and paramedic and biomedical sciences. It is set on of native grasslands and sugar gums. The new St Albans Health and Fitness Centre was opened in 2013.

Footscray Nicholson

Footscray Nicholson Campus is in central Footscray, on the corner of Nicholson and Buckley Streets. It delivers TAFE, VCE and short courses. Its new learning commons was opened in 2012 offering a broad range of educational and student services.

City

The City Campus includes the VU City Tower and the law building at 295 Queen Street in the heart of Melbourne's legal precinct. The campus houses business courses, Osteopathy, a hair and beauty salon as well as the university's College of Law and Justice, a law library, the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre and two moot courts. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate law courses, including continuing legal education courses for legal professionals.

Werribee

The Werribee Campus is located in the

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the local government area of the City of Wyndham. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werrib ...

agricultural research and tertiary education precinct. It offers trades training as well as facilities for water, food and fire safety research.

Sunshine

The Sunshine Campus of Victoria Polytechnic is located on Ballarat Road,

Sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

. It offers TAFE courses, focusing mainly on business and the construction industries. The A$44 million high-technology Construction Hub was opened in 2013 for building and construction training. The campus also has a convention centre with a 200-seat auditorium.

Sydney

Victoria University delivers a number of business courses for international students at its campus in central Sydney, which operates in partnership with the Education Centre of Australia (ECA).

Whitten Oval

In late 2010, VU opened an A$8 million Sport and Recreation Learning Centre in partnership with the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

at the

Whitten Oval Whitten Oval (also known as Mission Whitten Oval under a naming rights agreement) is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Barkly Street, Footscray. It is the training and administrative headquart ...

in West Footscray. The Centre contains massage therapy clinics open to the public, as well as a 140-seat lecture theatre, a library, classrooms and offices.

Governance and structures

Academic structure

Several of the university's colleges offer internationally recognised qualifications ranging from certificates and diplomas to degrees, postgraduate certificates and diplomas, and masters and doctoral research degrees (PhD). Victoria Polytechnic and VU College offer vocational education courses and higher education diplomas. These are divided between several colleges, including: * The College of Arts and Education * The College of Business * The College of Engineering and Science * The College of Health and Bio-medicine * The College of Law and Justice * The College of Sport and Exercise Science * Victoria University Polytechnic, which is the

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...

division of Victoria University.

Academic profile

Tuition, loans and financial aid

For international students starting in 2025, tuition fees range from to per semester for

programs at the

level or above. Domestic students may be offered a federally-subsidised Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) which substantially decreases the student contribution amount billed to the student. The maximum student contribution amount limits that can be applied to CSP students are dependent on the field of study. Since 2021, Commonwealth Supported Places have also been limited to 7 years of equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL), calculated in the form of Student Learning Entitlement (SLE). Students may accrue additional SLE under some circumstances (e.g. starting a ''separate'' one-year honours program) or every 10 years. Domestic students are also able to access the HECS-HELP student loans scheme offered by the federal government. These are indexed to the

Consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

or Wage Price Index, whichever is lower, and repayments are voluntary unless the recipient passes an income threshold. The university also offers several

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

s, which come in the form of

bursaries A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

or tuition fee remission.

Academic reputation

; National publications In the ''Australian Financial Review'' Best Universities Ranking 2024, the university was ranked no. 36 amongst Australian universities. ; Global publications In the 2025 ''

Quacquarelli Symonds Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a higher education analyst and a for-profit services provider headquartered in London with offices in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. History The company was founded by Nunzio Quacquarelli in 1990 to provide informati ...

World University Rankings College and university rankings order higher education institutions based on various criteria, with factors differing depending on the specific ranking system. These rankings can be conducted at the national or international level, assessing inst ...

(published 2024), the university attained a position of #741–750 (33rd nationally). In the ''Times Higher Education'' World University Rankings 2025 (published 2024), the university attained a position of #401–500 (tied 27–34th nationally). In the 2025–2026 ''U.S. News & World Report'' Best Global Universities, the university attained a tied position of #785 (28th nationally). In the ''

CWTS Leiden Ranking The CWTS Leiden Ranking is an annual global university ranking based exclusively on bibliometric indicators. The rankings are compiled by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies ( Dutch: ''Centrum voor Wetenschap en Technologische Studies' ...

'' 2024, the university attained a position of #1030 (29th 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 85.5%. In the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey, graduates of the university had a full-time employment rate of 64.5% for undergraduates and 84.9% 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 81.2% meanwhile postgraduates rated their overall education experience at 75.5%.

Research and publications

28 VU research disciplines were ranked at or above world standard in the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) assessments 2018.

Student life

Student demographics

In 2019, VU had 43,802 students. Approximately 65% student in higher education degree programs, and 35% enrolled in TAFE training courses. Of these students, 5,662 were international students studying at one of VU's Melbourne or Sydney Campuses, and 3,772 were international students studying at VU programs overseas at one of its partner organisations located mainly in Asia.

Student accommodation

VU owns and operates student accommodation for students, staff, and guests of the university. In February 2016, the Student Village in Maidstone was replaced with the newly built UniLodge Victoria University, a 13-story apartment building across the road from the Footscray Park Campus on Ballarat Road, Footscray. International House, a traditional residential college located at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, also offers places to Victoria University students.

Notable people

Notable alumni

Sukhbold Sukhee Sukhbold Sukhee (born 30 October 1976) has been the Permanent Representative to the United Nations for Mongolia since 2015. Sukhee was born in Orkhontuul, Selenge Province, Mongolia. He received a Bachelor of Public International Law at the Mosco ...

, Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

for Mongolia * Ali Abdo, Olympic wrestler * Liam Adams, long-distance running champion *

Ngconde Balfour Ngconde Mathemba Bryce Balfour (born 23 August 1954 in kuNtselamanzi, Alice, Eastern Cape) is a South African politician and has served as Minister of Correctional Services and Minister of Sport. Early life and career Balfour was born in the E ...

, former South African sport and recreation minister *

Ron Barassi Ronald Dale Barassi (27 February 1936 – 16 September 2023) was an Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the greatest and most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player ...

, Australian Football League legend * Nathan Brown, former AFL player and commentator * Marion May Campbell, author and associate professor of Professional and Creative Writing at Deakin University * Doug Chappel, comedian and actor *

Bianca Chatfield Bianca Chatfield (born 2 April 1982) is a former Australia national netball team, Australia netball international. Between 2001 and 2014 she made 59 senior appearances for Australia. Chatfield was a member of the Australia teams that won the go ...

, netballer, media and sports presenter *

Jeffrey Cheah Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling (; pinfa: ''Qia4 Fu4 Ngian2''; born 1945 or 1946) KBE is a Malaysian entrepreneur who is the founder and current chairman of the Sunway Group, a Malaysian conglomerate operating in 12 industries with core busines ...

, founder of the

Sunway Group Sunway Group (, zh, 双威集团) is a Malaysian conglomerate. It is headquartered at Sunway City, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. History The Sunway Group commenced operations in 1986, primarily focused on the development of Bandar S ...

Simon Garlick Simon Garlick (born 10 April 1975) is a former Australian rules footballer who played between 1994 and 2004, and current football administrator. Drafted to Sydney Swans with the 49th selection in the 1993 AFL draft, he spent his first four ye ...

, CEO of the

* Andrew Gaze, former basketballer * Brad Green, former

footballer and current

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Princes Park (stadium), Princes Park in Carlton North, Victoria, Carlton North, an inner suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The c ...

development coach * Alwyn Jones, national champion triple jumper *

Alan Kohler Alan Robert Kohler is an Australian financial journalist, television personality, and former newspaper editor. He is known for presenting the finance segment on the news on ABC Television, and as the founder of ''The Constant Investor'', a fo ...

, financial journalist * Telmo Languiller, Victorian MP * Tammy Lobato, Victorian MP * Mike McKay, Olympian and member of the "Oarsome Foursome" *

Pia Miranda Pia Miranda is an Australian actress. Her career was launched with her role in the 2000 feature film '' Looking for Alibrandi'', an Australian film based on the novel of the same name by Melina Marchetta. She is also known for her roles as K ...

, actress * Danny Morseu, first Torres Strait Islander to represent Australia at the Olympics * Nyadol Nyuon, litigation lawyer and regular media commentator and advocate for South Sudanese community * Campbell Rose, former CEO of the

Larry Sengstock Larry Sengstock (born 4 March 1960) is an Australian retired basketball player and was the CEO of Basketball Australia and the NBL until April 2012. In July 2024 he was appointed as the CEO of Noosa Shire Councilhttps://www.noosa.qld.gov.au/ ...

, former basketballer * Fatai Veamatahau, finalist in ''The Voice'', 2012 * Mitch Wallis, footballer,

* Kim Wells,

Victoria State Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australian state of Victoria. As a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, the State Government was first formed in 1851 when Vic ...

treasurer * Deepak Vinayak, community leader, Melbourne *

Easton Wood Easton Phillip Wood (born 4 September 1989) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He grew up in Camperdown, Victoria, Camperdown, Victoria (Australia), Victoria whi ...

, Western Bulldogs AFL premiership captain

Academics and staff

* Tony Birch, poet, novelist, author *

Peter Dixon Peter-John Dixon (30 April 1944 – 2 August 2023) was an England international rugby union player. Dixon played for Oxford University RFC in four consecutive Varsity Matches from 1967 to 1970. He played for Cumberland at county level alo ...

, economist * Craig Emerson, former Australian politician *

Gary Foley Gary Edward Foley (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian activist of the Gumbaynggirr people, academic, writer and actor. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Ab ...

, Indigenous activist and historian * Ian Gray, magistrate * Michael Kirby, retired High Court judge *

, financial journalist and editor * Chris Maxwell, barrister * Nyadol Nyuon, lawyer and regular media commentator and advocate for South Sudanese community * Robert Richter, barrister * Christopher Sonn,

social psychologist Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field of ...

* Robert Stary, criminal law specialist

Footnotes

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 37, 47, 39, S, 144, 54, 0, E, region:AU-VIC_type:landmark, display=title Australian vocational education and training providers Universities in Melbourne TAFE Colleges in Melbourne 1990 establishments in Australia Universities and colleges established in 1990