Enrolments in ag studies growing in 2025

The number of agricultural students enrolled at colleges and universities is on the rise. What’s driving this ongoing interest in the sector?

The number of students enrolling in agricultural studies continues to grow year-on-year.

Figures from a number of leading agricultural educators, including the University of Melbourne and Marcus Oldham College, show enrolments in agricultural studies have lifted almost 30 per cent.

Marcus Oldham principal Andrew Baker said interest in the subject was only growing, with more students from regional centres and some from the city enrolling at the college.

“Fifteen years ago they’d have all been off farms, but that’s changed a little now,” Mr Baker said.

“There’s definitely a perception change in agriculture, and the whole ag sector has changed as well. It’s a pretty exciting place.

“If you’d spoken to me a decade ago, people thought we taught people how to farm. But really what we do is teach people how to make good businesses decisions in an industry that has its own uncertainty, volatilities, and our graduates are going on to manage multimillion-dollar businesses now.”

At the University of Melbourne, enrolments in the Bachelor of Agriculture have lifted 27 per cent between 2023 to 2024.

Jordi Forbes is a recent University of Melbourne agricultural graduate, who has completed a summer of work at the Dookie campus before starting a new role in research at Saturn Ag.

The 21-year-old, from Winchelsea near Geelong, said she didn’t grow up on a farm but was drawn to agriculture as a way of uniting her interest in science, biology, environment and food production.

Jordi Forbes with her sheep on farm at Bannockburn. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“It’s the perfect way to merge those together, and the rewarding and fulfilling nature of the industry appealed,” Ms Forbes said.

“I could make a difference with whatever I was doing.”

Ms Forbes said the agriculture industry was a promising area for young people now and in the future, with diverse career opportunities.

“People tend to assume we’re all farmers on a tractor, and they’re the backbone but we’re more than that,” Ms Forbes said.

“There are hundreds of people with lots of roles required to get your steak on the plate.”

Enrolments at Rural Industry Skills Training, an independent agricultural trainer, has seen enrolments in Certificate II and III in Agriculture traineeships lift 25 per cent in 2025.

“Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, mixed enterprises, sheep and wool, with an increase in dairy-based students over the last several years which is promising for the industry,” RIST chief executive Bill Hamill said.