Which awards can I apply for?

Want to find out which awards you can apply for? Click choose your country to view the relevant awards to your specific country.

Victoria University

300 Flinders Street,
Melbourne
Victoria 8001
Web address: www.vu.edu.au
Email: vuischolarships@vu.edu.au
ADS contact phone: +61 (3) 9919 1436 or +61 (3) 9919 1164
ADS contact fax: +61 (3) 9919 1009

Relevant campuses: City Flinders, Flinders Lane, Footscray Park, City Queen, St Albans, Melton, and Werribee. TAFE only campuses: City King, Footscray Nicholson, Newport, and Sunshine.

Community and surrounds
Victoria University has 10 campuses and sites across Melbourne and its western region-three in the Central Business District (CBD) and another four within 10km of the CBD. Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and has a population of 4 million. Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia and has consistently been rated one of the world’s most liveable cities worldwide (Economist Intelligence Unit’s survey, August 2011). Built on the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay, the city is a major commercial and industrial centre. It is a multicultural city with more than 140 ethnic groups and more than 170 languages spoken. Melbourne is renowned for its culinary variety, cultural events and festivals, famous sporting events, architecture and shopping. 
There are numerous large parks throughout the city. The outer suburbs spread for over 1,500 square kilometres from the central business district, but the public transport system is reliable and convenient. Melbourne is a short distance from many beaches as well as the Victorian mountain ranges. The city is close to ski fields, wineries, the Great Ocean Road, and abundant wildlife.

Climate
Melbourne’s climate has the four distinct seasons: summer, winter, autumn and spring. In summer (December to February), the temperature ranges from 14 to 35 degrees Celsius. In winter (June to August), the temperature ranges from 7 to 14 degrees.

Cost of living and accommodation
Your AusAID Liaison Officer will help book your temporary accommodation for when you first arrive. Once the Introductory Academic Program’s Orientation week commences you will be given assistance in seeking permanent rental accommodation if required. The Housing Officer is situated in our Footscray Park Campus, but also visits other campuses.
The average costs for a single student living in rented accommodation in surrounding suburbs of Melbourne (sharing a house with two others), including food, household costs and travel expenses is $1,440 a month. Costs are generally higher for accommodation close to the central business district. 
On-campus accommodation costs start from around $155 to $267 a week (based on a 52 week year). Off-campus rental accommodation costs between $150 and $200 a week for a two-bedroom flat, or between $180 and $250 for a three-bedroom house. Board or homestay ranges from $100 to $170 a week.
Reasonably cheap units/flats and houses are available in the surrounding suburbs of Footscray, St Albans, Yarraville, Seddon. All of these suburbs are very close to Footscray Park, St Albans and City Flinders campuses. In some cases they are in walking distance, in particular the private rental accommodation surrounding the Footscray Park and St Albans campuses.
Students will be given a list of places to buy furniture and appliances during the Introductory Academic Program Orientation Week.

Campus descriptions
All campuses are located in the central city area and in the western regions of Melbourne.
The City Flinders campus is a modern building overlooking the Yarra River, located opposite Melbourne’s main train station, Flinders Street. The cafes and shops of Southbank are five minutes walk across a footbridge. Campus facilities include a library, computing laboratories, a student lounge and conference centre.
Footscray Park campus is situated six kilometres from Melbourne’s central business district. The campus is the oldest and largest of Victoria University’s campuses and has extraordinary facilities and offers a great lifestyle for students.  The campus occupies a seven-hectare site adjacent to parklands along the Maribyrnong River valley. The campus is home to our aquatic and fitness centre, a childcare centre, housing services and a brand new A$68 million Learning and Exercise Science and Sports Laboratory Precinct.
Melton campus is 40-45 minutes by car from Melbourne’s city centre. The campus is 16 hectares, featuring modern architecture in garden settings.  Melton campus is a close knit community. It has a warm friendly environment and a wide range of local industry and community based courses.
St Albans campus is large and offers a brilliant lifestyle to students studying there.  The extensive grounds, 32 hectares, sit alongside Jones Creek and native grasslands dotted with gum trees. The campus has modern research centres and includes a ‘wet lab’ for marine studies.
Situated in the Werribee Technology Precinct, the Werribee campus has specialised facilities for teaching and research including major research centres for the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science.  The campus is located 25-30 minutes by car from Melbourne’s city centre.
The City King campus is located in a modern high-rise building in Melbourne’s central business district, close to Southern Cross train station. The busy King Street end of Melbourne has all services and is particularly well served with public transport.
Footscray Nicholson campus is located in one of Melbourne’s most culturally diverse centres in Victoria. Footscray is 10 minutes by car from the city centre, close to shops, rail and bus transport. The campus consists of four buildings surrounded by paved and landscaped courtyards.
Newport campus is close to rail and located next to the Historical Victoria Railways Workshops. It consists of four buildings set in landscaped grounds and is 15 minutes by car from the city centre.
Sunshine campus is located in the centre of the suburb of Sunshine which is around 15 minutes by car from Melbourne’s city centre. The campus has two new and outstanding building complexes, and our new teaching, training and research facility at Sunshine Hospital means our nursing and biomedical students undertake a large part of their studies alongside medical professionals.
For further information on facilities at each campus, visit www.vu.edu.au.

International student population
In 2012 more than 50,000 enrolled students and 4500 staff across local campuses, as well as international sites, make up what is one of the greatest international mixes at an Australian university.   About one in five of our students come from overseas, with over 90 different nationalities represented at Victoria University.


Family and community services
There are health services at the Footscray Nicholson and Footscray Park campuses. The Health Practice Unit at St Albans campus offers health therapies such as acupuncture, Tui Na (Chinese therapeutic body work) and Chinese and Western herbal medicine. Community Health Centres are located close to Victoria University campuses. Melbourne has several public and private hospitals. It also has specific hospitals for women (Royal Women’s Hospital). A number of campuses have women’s rooms, which are lounge areas for women only. Migrant Resource Centres are available at Footscray and St Albans campuses.
As Melbourne is a large city, there are many working options for spouses. Melbourne has strong multi-lingual capabilities with around 30 per cent of the city’s population speaking a language other than English. There are several multi-lingual radio stations in Melbourne, as well as multi-lingual newspapers and magazines. Organisations from many different cultures support the ethnic communities.
Victoria University organises an AusAID buddy system for new AusAID students.  All newcomers are met at the airport and matched with senior AusAID students who ensure that new students are well looked after, introduced to surroundings, transport, food, accommodation, introduced to other AusAID students, and generally helped to settle in. These buddies stay with the student for the duration of the course and help both the student and their family.
Upon arrival, AusAID students are able to join any of the many student clubs such as the International Student Association, the AusAID Club, the Pacifika Association, the East Timorese Association, the Indian Association and the Middle East Association.

Childcare facilities
The university has children's centres located on four campuses–Footscray Nicholson, Footscray Park, Newport, and Werribee. Each centre has been Quality Accredited through the National Childcare Accreditation Council and provides a high quality caring environment where children have access to a range of educational programs to meet their individual development needs.
Childcare services are also available in most local communities. You can find out about these services by contacting your local council.

Facilities for special needs
The University’s Disability Services offers a range of services and resources to support and help student’s with a disability or medical condition complete their studies and participate in all aspects of university life.  Disability Services has Disability Liaison Officers who can help in a range of ways including identify ways to reduce the impact of a student’s disability on their studies, assist with alternative assessments and exams, assess and provide software and adaptive technologies to assist you with your studies, and communicate with academic staff, course coordinators, exam staff and external agencies.

Foods for different cultures
There are numerous multicultural restaurants close to Victoria University’s campuses including Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Turkish and Greek restaurants. In multicultural Melbourne, it is easy to find places that cater for tastes from around the world, including Continental, Middle Eastern, Japanese and Vietnamese. This includes places to eat out and from which to buy groceries and spices. Major supermarkets carry an Asian line. There are many specialist grocery stores and butchers in Melbourne for those students requiring halals, kosher or strictly vegetarian food. Halals and kosher food is also available on Footscray Park and St Albans campuses. Fresh food is available at the Footscray, Victoria and St Albans markets located close to university campuses.

Religious facilities
Chaplains are based at Footscray Park and St Albans campuses. The Islamic Society provides a prayer room on the Footscray Park campus. There is also a Hindu Centre at the Footscray Park campus. There are several religious organisations and places of worship in metropolitan Melbourne, including the Melbourne Thai Buddhist Temple, Buddhist Society of Victoria, and Muslim Women of Australia.

Public transport
From the airport: Melbourne international airport is located about 20 kilometres northeast of Melbourne city. The university meets ADS students arriving at Melbourne airport and takes them to their accommodation. An airport bus runs around the clock to and from the city and costs about $28 for a return trip.
Getting around: All campuses are within easy access of train stations and bus transport. Free evening shuttle bus services at the City Flinders, Footscray Park and St Albans campuses provide a safe link to local train and bus stations.
The public transport system in Melbourne is called The Met. You are able to travel on a train, a tram and bus on the same ticket. A brochure called Fares and Travel Guide is available and clearly explains the system. On arrival the university will give you a copy of the guide, which includes a timetable of the trains. City Flinders and City Flinders Lane Campuses are a two-minute walk from Flinders Street train station. Tickets to the Victoria University campuses are upwards of $4.00 for two hours or $94.60 for a discounted monthly ticket (the cheapest option).