Our History

The University of Wollongong traces its origins to 1951 when a Division of the then New South Wales University of Technology was established in Wollongong.

Ten years later the Division became the Wollongong College of the University of New South Wales and, in 1975, the University of Wollongong was incorporated by the New South Wales Parliament as an independent institution of higher learning. In 1982, the University amalgamated with the Wollongong Institute of Higher Education, which had begun life in 1962 as the Wollongong Teachers’ College. The merger formed the basis for a period of rapid growth in the 1980s and the emergence of the University of Wollongong’s distinctive identity as an enterprising institution with a personalised style and a growing reputation for excellence in teaching and research.

Thus, in over 50 years, the University has grown from a provincial feeder college with 300 students to an international university with over 18,000 students spread across three campuses and five access centres. Originally established as a provider of technical education for engineers and metallurgists required for the region’s steel industry, the University now offers a wide range of courses across nine faculties - Arts, Education, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Engineering, Law, Science, Informatics, Commerce and Creative Arts. These faculties incorporate 40 teaching units with some 760 members of academic staff and 1,600 staff overall.

Since its foundation, the University has conferred more than 52,000 degrees, diplomas and certificates. Its student population, originally drawn predominantly from the local Illawarra region, is now comprised of students from over 70 countries with international students accounting for more than 30 percent of total enrolments.

The University of Wollongong has developed into a multi-campus institution. The main Wollongong campus is on the original site five kilometres north-west of the city centre and now covers an area of 82.4 hectares with 94 permanent buildings including six student residences. The Dubai Campus in the United Arab Emirates was established in 1993 and the Shoalhaven Campus was opened in 2000 at Nowra on the New South Wales South Coast. In addition, there are University Education Centres in Bega, Batemans Bay, Moss Vale and Loftus as well as the Sydney Business School. The University also offers courses in conjunction with partner institutions in a number of offshore locations including Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The University has always had a strong research focus and has developed an international reputation for its applied research (often in partnership with industry or government) in areas relevant to national economic, technological and social goals. It is home to eight Research Institutes and three ARC Key Centres for Teaching and Research - in Smart Foods, Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies and Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies. In addition, the University is a partner in four Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) - in Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Railway & Engineering Technologies, Welded Structures and Smart Internet Technology.

The University has developed as a State "Centre of Excellence" in telecommunications. It is one of the largest sites of information technology, multimedia and telecommunications research in the Southern Hemisphere. Other areas of expertise include superconductors, intelligent polymers, steel processing and products, microwave technology, biomedical research, medical radiation physics and environmental research.

The University's strength in collaborative research was acknowledged when in 1999 the University was announced joint winner of the Good Universities Guide ‘University of Year’ Award for 1999-2000 for its "Outstanding Research and Development Partnerships". In an unprecedented achievement, the University won the award a second time in 2000-2001 for its efforts in "Preparing Graduates for an E-world". It thus conclusively reaffirmed its standing as an innovative university with the highest rating in the country for the employment of its graduates.

The teaching, research and cultural life of the University is supported by state-of-the-art facilities, including an extensive library collection, an interactive Science Centre, and a Recreation & Aquatic Centre. In late 2002, the University announced the establishment of a Wollongong Innovation Campus on a 20 hectare site at Brandon Park. A joint venture with the NSW government , the private sector & local councils, this science and technology precinct will be developed over a ten year period commencing in 2003.

Thus, the University of Wollongong looks to the future as a dynamic and outward-looking institution with a growing reputation for providing quality education and research.