Australia has four universities that are committed to promoting Christian spiritual growth and faith formation. Whether you want to study religion or gain an unrelated degree, you have an opportunity to study in a spiritually supportive environment. Also see this article on Alphacrucis College and the various degree courses it offers.
Australian Catholic University
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a large, multi-campus university. It has 31,775 university students across its campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra and is ranked among the top 1,500 universities in the world.
ACU offers a reasonably broad range of courses but has little in the areas of Science, Engineering and Maths. Teaching and Nursing are among its more popular degrees. It also offers Theology and Philosophy.
ACU has a Catholic identity but is open to all students, regardless of religious belief. The university promises a welcoming environment where you can express your faith passionately.
The University of Notre Dame Australia is a private, Catholic university. It has 11,195 students, is based in Fremantle in Western Australia (within the greater Perth metropolitan area), and also has a sizeable Sydney campus.
Notre Dame offers a broad set of courses at the undergraduate level. Almost 90 per cent of students are studying for their first degree. Philosophy, Ethics and Theology are part of the Core Curriculum for undergraduate students.
Notre Dame is a specialist Catholic university that provides pastoral care. University applicants are asked about commitment to Church as part of the enrolment acceptance process.
The University of Divinity is a small Christian university based in Melbourne. It is made up colleges representing the Anglican, Baptist, Churches of Christ, Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Uniting churches.
Divinity focuses on religious teaching. There are four main fields: Biblical Studies, Christian Thought & History, Humanities, Theology Mission & Ministry. Around two-thirds of the university's 1,512 students are postgraduate.
Avondale University, founded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1897, is a small not-for-profit private institution in New South Wales with 1,293 students. The university offers a variety of accredited undergraduate, postgraduate, and vocational courses focused on holistic student development, covering subjects like humanities, arts, business, education, nursing, science, and theology.
In line with its Christian ethos, Avondale University instils in its students and staff core values of excellence, spirituality, wellbeing, integrity, and service. This commitment is designed to produce ethically responsible, service-oriented graduates equipped with lifelong learning skills, who are ready to meet world needs.
The university's history stretches back to 1892, when it was first established in Melbourne, Victoria. After relocating to Cooranbong in 1897, the university continued to expand and develop, eventually gaining self-accrediting status in 2014, and being officially recognised as an Australian University in 2021.
