Charles Sturt University

Charles Sturt University’s six main campuses are located throughout NSW, in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, Port Macquarie and Wagga Wagga. 

But as a Charles Sturt online student, you can study from anywhere.

As a leading regional university, Charles Sturt is known for its excellence in regional and rural health, business, education, agriculture and the environment. 

CSU is also recognised for its cyber security and law enforcement courses. The university has a dedicated data science research institute, where online students can learn about cybercrime, artificial intelligence and machine learning from industry leaders. 

Charles Sturt’s Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security is considered a go-to for those who want to work in senior police or intelligence roles. You can earn specialised postgraduate degrees in areas like financial crime, counterterrorism and intelligence analysis.

In 2022, there were over 40,000 students enrolled in Charles Sturt University courses, with 27,000 studying online.

Charles Sturt has the highest undergraduate employment rate of any university in Australia—a ranking it has achieved six years in a row. Nearly 85% of students have a full-time job within four months of graduating and start their careers with a median salary of $64,100.

The postgraduate employment rate is nothing to scoff at, either, with 90% of students employed within four months of graduating. 

It’s certainly a compelling reason to consider studying online with Charles Sturt University.

A long list of high-profile Australians have graduated from Charles Sturt courses. Many have established careers in the media. 

Former students include:

• Sussan Ley, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
• Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians
• David Elliott, former NSW Minister for Transport and Minister for Veterans
• Andrew Denton, Gold Logie-nominated TV presenter
• Samantha Armytage, journalist and former Sunrise co-host 
• Melissa Doyle, journalist and former Sunrise co-host
• Amanda Keller, TV and radio presenter 
• Hamish Macdonald, journalist
• Charlotte Wood AM, Miles Franklin-shortlisted author
• Stuart Beattie, screenwriter of Collateral and Australia
• Amanda Howard, true crime writer and serial killer expert
• Kurt Fearnley AO, Paralympic wheelchair racer
• Shokufeh Kavani, nurse, artist and four-time Australian of the Year Award nominee
• Hon. Justice Carolyn Chalmers Simpson AO, former judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

Charles Sturt University students are actually more likely to study online than on campus. In fact, only 13,000 out of 40,000 total students attend classes in person! 

• You’ll access everything to do with your enrolment, including exam timetables and results, through the Charles Sturt student portal. 
• You’ll do all of your classwork through a platform called Interact2, where each of your subjects will have its own section. Here you’ll watch live and recorded lectures, participate in class discussions, download readings and submit assessments. 

You can also expect access to full IT support, online study support services, and the entire CSU library catalogue. If you need any books posted to you, the library staff will do so free of charge. 

There are advantages to studying with a university that has such a high number of online students. For a start, the Interact2 platform makes it easier to find community spaces where you can network with others from your course. There are also active CSU Facebook groups where you can chat with classmates. 

Charles Sturt University manages all enquiries and applications related to its degrees, but you can use the Open Universities Australia website to research your options.

If you find a CSU course you’re interested in, select ‘Enquire now’ on the course page and fill out the form. A representative from Charles Sturt University will then get in touch with you. They will be able to guide you on the application process, and answer your questions around entry requirements, your eligibility for course credit, and HELP loans. 

It’s worth checking this list of key CSU application dates to understand when enrolments open.

For your peace of mind, an Open Universities Australia student advisor will also contact you after you speak with the university to see how you went. We can steer you in another direction if you haven’t quite found the course for you.