The Blacktown City Council is partnering with the Australian Catholic University (ACU) to open a new campus in Blacktown CBD.
The new campus will address the needs of a large number of students living within Blacktown as well as those residing in close proximity.
According to the council, over 18,000 university students currently commute long distances to attend their courses. Additionally, more than 54,000 higher education students live within 30 minutes of Blacktown.
The Council had called for Expressions of Interest last year from universities to establish a campus in western Sydney.
Describing the new university campus as a game-changer, Blacktown City mayor Stephen Bali, says, “Following a rigorous assessment process, ACU emerged as the clear contender to join with Council and business in developing and building a university campus."
“ACU had proven it was capable of responding to the needs of a growing and diverse population. ACU was also willing to make a considerable capital investment in the construction of the campus."
While a few education programs will be offered in 2020, undergraduate and postgraduate programs will commence from 2021. The campus will initially operate from a Council-owned building in Blacktown CBD.
ACU will also partner with the Council to build two campus buildings in the CBD to house 3000 students initially. Further development will take place to extend the campus to accommodate 30,000 students.
ACU has campuses in North Sydney, Strathfield, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra, with nearly 27,000 undergraduate students, 7000 postgraduate students and 4570 international students enrolled in various courses.
Image: Artist’s impression of the new ACU campus in Blacktown (ACU)
