Surge in enrolment at university campuses

ELIZABETH Dyer is just one of the many students who returned last week to Ballarat’s university campuses, which have experienced significant enrolment growth in the past year.

Both universities noted their health service courses have recorded strong increases in enrolments.

Federation University has had a 15 per cent increase to Ballarat domestic student numbers compared with 2025. It’s had the highest number of commencing domestic students in the city since COVID.

Meanwhile, Professor Tania Broadley, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education at Australian Catholic University, said that enrolments at the Ballarat campus had grown 11 per cent over the past year.

“We’ve seen strong growth at our Ballarat campus, which reflects the quality of our programs and the trust that the local community places in us,” Professor Broadley said.

Growth continued to be recorded in programs such as occupational therapy and nursing, the professor said.

Professor Broadley said university education close to home was a game changer not just for students but communities.

“Regional campuses like ours open doors for students who might not otherwise see higher education as an option – including students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and First Nations communities. Studying locally makes uni more accessible and affordable.”

At Federation University, there were increases in students starting Bachelor of Nursing (21 per cent), Master of Speech Pathology (23 per cent) and Master of Psychology (five per cent) degrees.

These are comparisons based on year to year, with final numbers to be determined after the university’s census.

Professor Andrew Lewis, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Federation University’s Co-operative Education and the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, said the significant growth in health-related enrolments reflected student demand and critical regional workforce needs for employers such as Grampians Health.

“Courses such as nursing, midwifery, psychology and allied health are seeing consistent growth, because students know these qualifications lead to secure and meaningful jobs that make a difference in our community,” Professor Lewis said.

“This growth directly supports Federation University’s long-term commitment to ensuring Ballarat and the surrounding region have the skilled health workforce they need.”

Ms Dyer is studying a Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, and hoped one day to work as a general practitioner in women’s health.

She has started the Fed Uni Muslim Students Association, which supports international students during their enrolment, and said it was an exciting time to be at the university.

“The university is very much about supporting the individual and their needs and there’s so many different services ready and willing to do that,” she said.