With working science labs, live performances and plenty of knowledgeable advisors on hand, Ballarat’s prospective students have got a taste of campus life.
Both Federation University and Australian Catholic University hosted their open days on Sunday.
ACU Aquinas campus dean Professor Bridget Aitchison said 27 per cent of ACU students were from Ballarat, with the bulk from regional Victoria, and a number from regional New South Wales and South Australia.
The great thing about Ballarat is that if you’re local, you can stay at home and study here, but if you’re from further away, you don’t have to make that transition from small town to Melbourne.”
Bright futures on display at Ballarat's FedUni and ACU open days | GALLERY
Charis Jackson and Michelle Jackson at ACU
Jack Loechel, Lucinda Mooney and Kelsey Ryan, ACU students
Louise Guest, David Guest and Kira Guest at FedUni
Adele Hertog at FedUni
Nissa Bedggood, Brooke Zahra, Jesse Zahra and Jonathan Phan at ACU
Steve Kent, Erin Kent and Ursula Kent at FedUni
Aidan Mallia and Chloe Dean at FedUni
Hannah Van Der Veen and Lilly Hammond at FedUni
Jon Morecroft and Tessa Morecroft at ACU
Liam Smith and Cameron Smith at FedUni
Georgie Potter, Charlotte Rankin and Georgia Herdman at FedUni
Paddy Turner and Riley Taylor at ACU
Sarah Wynen and Roxy Tamlin at FedUni
Madeleine Kelly and Alice Stinchcombe at FedUni
Rebekah Small and Lola Gilroy at FedUni
Ailbhe Lee at ACU
Bryleigh Geurts, FedUni student
Laura Kemp and Tessa Sawyer, ACU students
Mason Kermond, 17, and Logan Kermond, 10, at ACU
Kate Gladwell, Emily Gladwell, David Gladwell with Missy at ACU
Trent Loader, Charlie Young and Kylie Cranage at the ACU Open Day.
Thea Hubble and Niamh Hubble at ACU.
It wasn’t just nervous Year 12s weighing up their future options either.
Current FedUni student and Ararat resident Riley Taylor said went to ACU’s open day to scope out the new physiotherapy course, which he’d like to pursue after his current degree.
“I’d like to stay as country as I can,” he said. “I had a lot of questions I wanted answered – what I need to strive to get score-wise – and to have a look around the facilities and make sure its really what I wanted to do.”