Shaping change and improving lives from the start

Our founding principle as Australia’s first university was that we would be a modern and progressive institution. It’s an ideal we still hold dear today.

When William Charles Wentworth proposed the idea of Australia’s first university in 1850, he imagined “the opportunity for the child of every class to become great and useful in the destinies of this country”.

We’ve stayed true to that original value and purpose by promoting inclusion and diversity for the past 160 years.

It's the reason that, as early as 1881, we admitted women on an equal footing to male students. Oxford University didn't follow suit until 30 years later, and Jesus College at Cambridge University did not begin admitting female students until 1974.

It's also why, from the very start, talented students of all backgrounds were given the chance to access further education through bursaries and scholarships.

Today we offer hundreds of scholarships to support and encourage talented students, and a range of grants and bursaries to those who need a financial helping hand.