Diversity and Wellbeing

Victoria University (VU) is the university of the west.

Victoria University achieved university status in 1991, but our preceding institutions date back to 1916. We are one of Australia’s few dual-sector universities. Today, we have over 40,000 enrolled higher education, and vocational education and training students studying on our campuses.

VU has received the following rankings:

• Ranked in the world’s top 3% (Times Higher Education – THE – World University Rankings)

• Ranked 45 in the world’s top universities aged under 50 (THE Young University Rankings 2019)

• Ranked number one in Australia for professional skills^ (2022 QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey).  

As one of 39 public universities in Australia, graduates can be assured their qualification from VU is being awarded from a university operating in a world-class education system.

Being a dual-sector university means that our students can easily pathway from vocational education to higher education - such as from a certificate or diploma course through to an undergraduate degree or even a postgraduate qualification by coursework or research.

Block Model

Ranked in the top 3% of universities worldwide, we are revolutionising education in Australia with our new way to do uni. This includes the VU Block Model, where we teach one unit at a time, rather than several at once.

Our focus on student success will give you skills for a 21st century career.
With VU's award-winning Block Model, you study one subject at a time for four weeks (undergraduate courses), or two subjects at a time for eight weeks (postgraduate courses). Each four-week or eight-week 'block' includes all assessments, allowing you to focus on one or two subjects at a time and receive your results before moving onto the next block.

International students at VU Sydney are performing particularly well under the Block Model. Students are achieving average pass rates of 90%, with over 40% receiving distinctions and high distinctions without a change to the assessments given.

All diploma and undergraduate courses are taught under the Block Model at VU Sydney, with our postgraduate business courses moving to delivery via Block Model from 2021.

Job & Future-Ready Graduates

Our industry and government partnerships add value to our courses and ensure our graduates are job-ready, with many of our courses professionally recognised and accredited. Courses are tailored to meet industry needs, and students undertake real-world projects, as well as meaningful and engaging internships and work placements.

Our graduates have the creative, problem-solving and technical skills required to thrive in a fast-changing world. Practical learning, designed with our industry partners, is reinforced through industry application and supported by skills in communication, collaboration and leadership.

Our teaching spaces are optimised for contemporary learning, and you will be supported by a team of experienced academics who are committed to ensuring you graduate with the skills and knowledge to succeed in and beyond your degree.

A World-Class University

Our rankings, research, facilities, partnerships and alumni network are all part of our world-class international reputation.

We are ranked:

• top 3% of universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 

• 10th in the world for peace, justice and strong institutions, for our research on peace and justice, participation as advisers for government and policies on academic freedom. (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021)

• 56th in the world in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2020

• 51st (out of more than 300 universities) in the Times Higher Education Asia–Pacific University Rankings 2019.

These rankings are the only international assessment of universities across their core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Our alumni network of more than 240,000 includes 30,000 professionals living and working around the world, while employers of our alumni include the London Ambulance Service, Indonesia's Ministry of Finance, Facebook and NASA.

Safe & Supportive Community

We are a welcoming and inclusive university in one of Australia's highest-ranked student cities. Australia is also ranked the safest country in the world for women, according to the 2019 Global Wealth Migration Review.

At VU, we celebrate cultural diversity and provide opportunities for all students to take part in community and social activities. We have a vibrant social calendar, programs to promote student leadership, and activities to support community engagement.

VU Values

The VU Values are that we are always:

• welcoming

• ethical

• shaping the future

• together.

They form the acronym ‘WEST’. So, we are ‘always west’ and this is symbolic of place. The west of Melbourne is the heart of VU – the centre from which we serve communities across Australia and overseas.

While we have always taken a values-based approach to our work at VU, our new values are an opportunity to express and further articulate our moral purpose more distinctly.

Our values are a living set of actions that underpin our moral purpose, this is The VU Way, which is to transform the lives and communities we serve.

VU’s values go beyond vocabulary they are a reflection of our beliefs and our ethics which in turn influences our practice.