Established as recently as 1974, Deakin University has emerged as one of Australia’s largest varsities with a student enrollment of 32,000. While more than 15,000 students are enrolled in its five campuses across the state of Victoria, the remainder pursue their degree studies through distance online education. Indeed during the past two decades Deakin has won widespread acclaim internationally for using ICT (information communication technologies) and the internet to deliver degrees by way of distance education. In 1995 Deakin was awarded the Australian University of the Year citation for "use of technology in teaching and learning". Moreover in 1999-2000 it was proclaimed University of the Year for "outstanding partnerships with industry".

Funded by the federal government of Australia, Deakin offers a wide range of academic programmes. "Courses are offered from the bachelor to doctoral level in traditional disciplines such as arts, science, in newer fields such as sport, environment and nutrition, and in professional fields such as architecture, law, engineering, nursing, teaching, psychology and business," says Prof. Sally Walker, vice-chancellor of Deakin.

Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool. Deakin University has five campuses spread across three cities — Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool — in the state of Victoria. Melbourne (pop.3.5 million), recently voted the ‘the world’s most livable city’, is well-known for its scenic parks and gardens, excellent shopping, quality restaurants, and entertainment venues. For those interested in the arts, Melbourne offers world-class theatre, concerts and galleries. Exciting noctural entertainment abounds in sophisticated restaurants, cafes, clubs and opulent theatres. Moreover sports lovers have numerous opportunities to witness world-class sporting events such as the Grand Prix, the Australian (Tennis) Open and the Melbourne Cup.

Geelong is Victoria’s second largest city. Situated at the confluence of the picture postcard Corio Bay and Barwon river, Geelong is less than one hour from Melbourne by car or train. It is known as the gateway to the world-famous Great Ocean Road and is the base point of some of the best surfing beaches in the world.

Warrnambool is located at the western end of the Great Ocean Road and is home to over 30,000 people. Whales and maritime history are major attractions and it’s the ideal base for visiting wildlife reserves, forests, farms, waterfalls and is fringed with one of the most spectacular coastlines worldwide.

Campus facilities. Deakin has five campuses in Victoria — two in Melbourne, two in Geelong and one in Warrnambool. The Melbourne campus at Burwood is about 45 minutes from the city centre and hosts 12,000 undergrad and postgrad students. Burwood is Deakin University’s largest campus, renowned for its contemporary architecture and infrastructure, which includes the Icon Art Gallery, excellent teaching and learning facilities, cafes, restaurants and bar, campus shop and bookshop, and the newly constructed Central Precinct which houses a sports hall, food court and a 650-seat lecture theatre.

The Melbourne campus at Toorak is a relatively smaller, historic site located in a fine residential area, just 20 minutes from the city centre. Set in meticulously landscaped gardens, Toorak houses the Deakin University English Language Institute and the Deakin Business School.

The Geelong campus at Waurn Ponds features expansive landscaped grounds and extensive sports facilities. It is the second largest campus of the university in terms of student numbers with more than 4,000 on-campus students. Services and facilities include lecture theatres, computer labs, dining room, shops and a bank. The Geelong Waterfront campus sited on the scenic Corio Bay is Deakin’s newest and has an enrollment of 1,200 students studying architecture, construction and nursing.

The Warrnambool campus is set on the banks of the Hopkins river, close to local surfing beaches. The aquatic environment provides an ideal location for specialist studies in aquaculture and marine biology. More than 1,200 students study at this campus.

All five campuses are equipped with a library which provides general and subject specific information resources to students. Together the libraries house more than 1 million physical information resources including books, journals, newspapers, videos, CDs, DVDs and computer software. To broaden non-academic interests, the Deakin University Student Association offers students membership of more than 90 clubs and societies.

Admission. The minimum criterion for admission into Deakin’s undergrad programmes is successful completion of Plus Two. Additionally international students must submit minimum IELTS or TOEFL scores of 6 and 223 respectively, or attain over 60 percent marks in English in the qualifying class XII examination (CBSE/ ICSE). For postgraduate programmes, candidates should have completed a three-year undergrad degree with a 60 percent-plus average.

For further information write to Deakin International, 161 B-4 Gulmohar House, 4th Floor, Gautam Nagar, Yusuf Sarai, New Delhi 110 049; Tel: 91 11 5570 4350/ 3294 2199; E-mail: deakin-international@deakin.edu.au; www.deakin.edu.au. Students can also contact IDP Education Australia offices in six cities across India (www.idp.com)

Accommodation. Students enrolling in Deakin University have a choice of four accommodation options: on-campus; private; hostel and homestay. On-campus housing is available in student residential villages at the Geelong, Warnambool and Melbourne campuses. Each resident is provided single room accommodation with phone and computer access. Bathrooms, kitchens, laundry and recreational areas are shared. Private accommodation includes flats, apartments and houses. Deakin University’s international student support officers help students find private housing

Degree programmes. Deakin University offers a wide range of undergrad, postgrad and doctoral study programmes across the faculties of liberal arts, business and law, education, science and technology, health, medicine, nursing and behavioural sciences. The university also offers degrees through distance education.