Program Reviews

When I arrived in my room I was a little disappointed. The accommodation I chose (International House) leaves a lot to be desired, but it was one of the cheaper options. I'd recommend Globo for international students who are looking for a nicer apartment and better social scene.

The village always has lots of activities going on, and a really great mall is only a 15 minute walk away. The location of the uni is pretty great, and has lots of nice scenery surrounding it. Walks around Lake Ginninderra are really nice at night time.

Rebecca plans plenty of awesome activities and day trips. The Sydney trip was really amazing, and I'd definitely go on more weekend trips if they were offered!

When I first arrived I was taken to the residence office, who gave me the keys to my room and left me there. This worried me because I had just come into the country and so I didn't even know where campus was or how to get there. After that though the study abroad staff were tremendously helpful and made me feel more at home. Aside from the horror that is student-shared accommodation, my time at the University of Canberra has been a wonderful one. Study abroad is always putting on events and activities to go to and help you to feel included, they even help enroll you into your classes. I'm so grateful because the study abroad team here is more helpful than I could've ever asked for. Any problems your having, they are excellent at taking that weight off your shoulders and assisting in any way that they can. The area of Canberra is friendly, safe and the locals are kind and willing to assist if you get a bit lost. The courses at Canberra vary greatly from faculty to faculty however there is more variety than you could ever want in a uni course. I, for example, took media production, business, journalism and nursing for my first semester! Whatever your goals, Canberra can help you get there. The cost of living can be expensive at times but other than this I highly recommend this University.

Up to now going on exchange it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life!

99.9 % of the People are very friendly, relaxed and open-minded. Many cultures live together, you have lots of sports to do (SURF!!, rugby, soccer, cricket and so on), a wonderful wildlife to explore and so many opportunities to make friends with people from all over the world!
There are many people who support you for every kind of problem you have.

Just be sure that you are ready and able to spend a lot of money, so you will be satisfied with the accommodation, the super organized trips and the relatively high prices.

I'll start off by saying that the housing, Globo, that I stayed at for the duration of my semester was the nicest dorms out of all the ressies. It is only going to be a nice living experience as well as it could if you live with considerate roommates. The food was decent, but I would say coming from the U.S there wasn't nearly as much as a variety like I'm used to. The locals are inviting and welcome new comers, so it was nice to be invited to things on different occasions. The school is different than what I am used to. The lectures are pretty big, but most professors give good notes so you know what to study for exams. The assignments are straight forward and the professors don't ask for much. They grade heavily so be prepared to work hard and not goof off. Overall it was a great experience to be able to live in a different culture than I am used to. I got to go to the Great Barrier Reef while I was here and it will always be remembered and something I will think about on my way back to my home school. I love the make of the country with the mountains. I visited some of the museums as well while I was here and it was just a nice way to get out and visit the town. The res is in a great location because you can either walk to the mall (where there are the grocery stores and clothing stores) or take the bus to get what you need. Also, from the res it is a 5 minute walk to campus so that was a plus if I had down time between classes Time flies so make the most of it while you can.

The University of Canberra has an engaging learning environment amidst an amazing backdrop of natural beauty and wildlife. It’s staffed with friendly, helpful support personnel who provide an array of Australian adventure opportunities and work passionately to connect exchange students into the university community. The campus is a short walk from a huge range of shops and well-paying part-time job opportunities.

I do have enjoyed my time in Canberra. The environment here is quite comfortable. It is a great place to relax yourself and try to live life in a simple way.The staff in the study abroad and exchange office are sooo nice and they helped me a lot. I love it here. Come and join us!

Overall this has been the most amazing experience of my life! The Study Abroad Program at the University of Canberra is wonderful. There is a great sense of community here and with the work of the exchange leadership team it has only been enhanced!

The Sydney trip at the beginning of the semester is a must! You simply have to go on this trip and I highly advise doing anything else that they plan because it is always carried out with such organization and fun! You get the chance to meet people from all over the world who you can rely on throughout the semester and even turn into travel buddies for the breaks.

Of course there is always going to be room for improvement but this has nothing to do with the study abroad program. I'm talking about things such as housing, cost of living, and other things out of their control. Personally I did a homestay and lived with a local family. Looking back I would recommend staying on campus because you never know what kind of family you will get put with. The worst part of living off campus is bussing to school and dealing with the AHN (Australian Homestay Network). On average it takes me 50-70 minutes to get to school each day, and then there is the ride home. (The AHN's estimate of travel time was wrong and they basically told me tough luck!)

If you can afford it, your best option is living in the New Apartments (aka "Globo"). Coming from Northern British Columbia, Canada I did go into sticker shock when I got here as there are a lot more costs to factor in and a revised budget was in need after a few weeks.

One thing I have noticed is that you can ask a million questions to bus drivers, students, randoms and for the most part they will try to help (much like Canada). However, 50% of the Australians I asked what to do in Canberra said its boring here. Obviously you are not going to ask them this question; there is so much to do! This is the capital of Australia which is very close to 2 huge cities and home to many tourist attractions (lots of them free). Not to mention it's a quick (cheap) bus ride to the beach and even easier accessibility to the night life. If you cannot find things that you enjoy doing to fill your time then you are not even trying! Outdoorsy you say? Go walk, bike, or paddle boat around one of the lakes, go on a hike, find a hot air balloon, jump out of a plane!

Canberra and the University of Canberra is a wonderful place to do a study abroad semester or year. If I wasn't going home to graduate I would have stayed another semester!

The school is small and connected and the campus is soo pretty and everything is close. If you are applying, apply for new apartments. I was in International house and it was gross, I've seen most of the other places and the only reasonably priced and nice accommodation is the New Apartments. The weather is also about 5 degrees colder then else where which was kind of a let down. But all the students are so nice and it's nice to be able to wander through the campus and run into 10 people you know every day. Plus Canberra is close for traveling, both to sydney/gold coast and melbourne/alice springs

I love the study abroad program of the university of Canberra. Even before I arrived here I felt comfortable and everything was well organized. WHen I finally arrived everything was a lot of fun. Especially the Orientation Week trip is great because you get to know the other exchange students very well. And because nearly everyone lives at the University of Canberra village, there is always something to do and much fun around!

My biggest fear was not feeling comfortable in a new environment. However, I feel so at home because of the friends that I have made and the activities that were planned from this program.