Australian Catholic University to open Blacktown CBD campus

The Australian Catholic University will open its third Sydney campus after signing on as Blacktown Council’s official university partner. Take a first peek in our fly-through video.

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The Australian Catholic University (ACU) will open Blacktown’s first university, with plans to establish a campus in the CBD as early as next year.

ACU was today announced as Blacktown Council’s university partner to establish a campus in the heart of Blacktown.

The university will invest $220 million in the fit-out of an interim building and two permanent, high-rise buildings in Warrick Lane.

The university will open ACU College at an interim building in Main St, Blacktown, offering diplomas, certificates and executive education short courses in 2020.

Undergraduate and postgraduate programs are expected to begin the following year.

The Australian Catholic University will partner with Blacktown Council to open its third Sydney campus in the Blacktown CBD.

An information centre will be established at the Main St building later this year.

The interim campus will occupy several floors of the council-owned building in Main St while construction on two high-rise campus buildings in the Warrick Lane precinct is underway, with a scheduled opening of 2024.

ACU will establish four faculties at the Blacktown campus, including: education and arts; health sciences; law and business; and theology and philosophy.

Mayor Stephen Bali said the announcement was four decades in the making and would form part of the council’s estimated $76.5 million CBD redevelopment project.

“It’s really timely on the 40th anniversary of Blacktown City to celebrate this milestone — my predecessors for the past 40 years have talked about a university,” Cr Bali said.

“It’s a game-changer and also a coming-of-age for Blacktown.

“A university campus in Blacktown CBD is a vital part of the council’s vision for transforming our city.

“The university allows students the choice to complete their university education in Blacktown.

“If you want to live, work, play and study, you can do it all in the city of Blacktown.”

The permanent campus is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

Mr Bali said a Blacktown CBD campus would give the more than 18,000 students living in Blacktown city the chance to study at a university in their own backyard.

Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven looked forward to opening a campus in Blacktown.

“By 2036 half of Sydney’s population will live in western Sydney yet currently only 18 per cent of university places are in western Sydney,” Professor Craven said.

“An ACU campus in Blacktown will stand at the cultural and geographical heart of the community,” he said.

“We will strive to serve Blacktown’s diverse local student body by providing innovative, quality higher-education courses as well as state-of-the-art physical spaces for study, recreation and reflection.”

Artist's impression of Australian Catholic University's interim campus in Main St, Blacktown.

He said ACU’s plans to develop a campus in western Sydney began in 2015.

“ACU will be a true partner to Blacktown schools, businesses and community groups by aligning our higher education and research programs to key partners such as the Blacktown and Mt Druitt Hospital, International Centre of Training Excellence, Blacktown Council, and the Greater Blacktown Business Chamber,” he said.

“My greatest hope is that the inclusion of ACU into the Blacktown community will be an inspiration to the young people who come here.”

Blacktown will become ACU’s third campus in greater Sydney after Strathfield and North Sydney.

The university also has campuses in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Data shows students from the Blacktown Local Government Area who are currently enrolled at ACU’s Sydney campuses stands at 17 per cent. Five per cent of staff currently travel from the Blacktown area to ACU’s Sydney campuses.

It is estimated 54,000 tertiary students live within 30 minutes of Blacktown.