UNSW ACTs to expand in Canberra

UNSW is looking to expand in Canberra, with the university council approving “a strategic investment” on CBD fringe Constitution Avenue. The proposal is for a research and teaching campus offering UG and PG programmes. A development plan will now go to the ACT Government – which will likely welcome it. UNSW and the territory government have talked about creating a city-east campus for a couple of years, on land adjacent to the Canberra Institute of Technology.

 ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s government has talked of a facility for 10 000 students as part of the local government’s plan to expand the city as an education hub. However, the university is careful to specify that it’s plan for teaching, is to “attract new students to Canberra.”  Given the city is well served for total student places with 23 000 or so ANU and 13 000 at the University of Canberra this makes sense. UNSW has long had a college teaching within the Australian Defence Forces Academy there, but this would not necessarily help in an expanded competition for local market .  And a learned reader points to South Australia, where a state government encouraged new institutions to set up shop and ended up with more supply than demand.


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