Regional University Study Hubs help students in regional and remote areas access higher education without having to leave their community. They provide student support and campus-style facilities for students who study online.
About the program
The Regional University Study Hubs program (formerly the Regional University Centres program) takes an innovative approach to improve access to tertiary education for regional and remote students.
A Regional University Study Hub is a facility regional students can use to study tertiary courses locally delivered by distance from any Australian institution. Hubs provide:
- Infrastructure, including:
- Study spaces
- Break out areas
- Video conferencing
- Computer facilities
- High-speed internet access
- Administrative and academic support services such as:
- Developing writing and research skills
- Managing administrative processes
- Student support services, including:
- Pastoral support
- Study advice
- Help accessing student services
Find out more about the program at the Regional University Study Hub Network website.
Find a Regional University Study Hub
Map of Regional University Study Hubs
There are 46 Regional University Study Hubs located in all states and the Northern Territory.
35 of these Hubs are open and supporting students across Australia. 11 hubs are expected to open from 2024. Find a hub near you on the full list of Regional University Study Hubs.
Program objectives
The Regional University Study Hubs program aims to:
- Enable students in rural, regional and remote Australia to access and complete higher education without having to leave their community
- Meet a demonstrated gap in support for study in a regional, rural or remote community
- Support students who wish to stay in their community while they complete their course of study
- Enhance the experience of students studying within their own community
- Encourage strong links between the hubs and other organisations in the area, including other support services that students may access and industry
- Complement, rather than replace, existing and planned university investments and activities in regional areas, such as satellite campuses and study centres.
Each hub reflects the community it serves and is established with consideration of the:
- Geographic location of the study hub in relation to the community
- Population size, demographic and cultural needs of the local community
- Local industry and businesses in the area and the skills they need
- Location of local TAFE and VET providers.
Funding commitments
Since 2018, over $150 million has been committed to the Regional University Study Hubs program. This has included:
- grant funding to establish and operate the hubs
- Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) to support hub-university partnerships
- implementing a network and central support for all hubs
- an evaluation of the program to inform improvements to the program and hub governance and operation
- undertaking a research project on hub partnerships and how to best support them, particularly hub-university partnerships
- a scoping study to inform the location and selection of future hubs
On 18 July 2023, the Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, announced $66.9 million to establish up to 20 new Regional University Study Hubs and up to 14 Suburban University Study Hubs. This is part of the Government’s response to the Priority Actions listed in the Australian Universities Accord Panel’s Interim Report.
2023 Regional University Study Hubs Application Round
An application round was held between 28 September and 15 December 2023 to establish a first tranche of additional Regional University Study Hubs. Applications for the 2023 round are now closed.
For more information about the 2023 round including successful applicants, please see Regional University Study Hubs – 2023 Application Round.
2021 Scoping Study and Regional Needs Model
In 2021, a Scoping Study was undertaken to inform the selection of locations for new/future Regional University Study Hubs. This included the creation of a desktop tool for analysing data on Australian regions to consider their relative need and suitability for a Regional University Study Hub.
In 2023, in preparation for the expansion of the Regional University Study Hubs Program, the department has updated the model with the latest available data.
You can find more information about these updates on the Regional Needs Model 2023 Update Factsheet.
You can view the original 2021 Scoping Study final report. As outlined above, the data contained in the 2021 final report is no longer current. While the overarching methodology used is unchanged, specific data and dashboards in the 2021 final report are no longer accurate.