Address: 124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
Business and Law, Design and Social Context, Vocational Education, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
RMIT University was founded in 1887 as the Working Men’s College of Melbourne. It opened on 4 June 1887 with 320 enrolments. The founder, Francis Ormond, donated 5,000 pounds. The college became the Melbourne Technical College in 1934, the Royal Melbourne Technical College in 1954 and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1960. On 1 July 1992 it merged with the Phillip Institute of Technology and became RMIT University. It is the seventh oldest institution of higher education in Australia.
The City campus lies at the northern edge of the Hoddle Grid in the Melbourne central business district. The original building is on the corner of Bowen Street and La Trobe Street. The campus is roughly bounded by La Trobe, Elizabeth, Swanston, Queensberry, Lygon and Russell Streets, and it counted about 87 buildings in 2016, covering roughly 720,000 square metres.
Other Australian sites include Brunswick, 6 kilometres from the City campus, Bundoora, 18 kilometres away, and Point Cook at RAAF Williams, 20 kilometres away, which is used for flight training. A training site operates at Bendigo Airport and a research site at Hamilton, about 300 kilometres to the west.
RMIT is also active abroad. The Ho Chi Minh City branch opened in 2001 and moved to a purpose-built campus in 2005. Hanoi was established in 2004 and consolidated into a new tower in 2010, and Da Nang has a training centre. Barcelona has been a European coordinating centre since 2013.
The university enrols about 95,000 higher education and vocational students. Its academic structure has four colleges: Business and Law, Design and Social Context, Vocational Education, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Alumni include the skier Lydia Lassila, the footballer Jim Stynes, the film director James Wan, the rower James Tomkins, the comedian Rove McManus and the singer Judith Durham. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
The long history of the institution shows in its profile. It began as a college for working men and grew into a university with a strong link to trades, design and technology. Applicants should check the official pages for the programmes taught at the Vietnam campuses, which follow the Melbourne curriculum, and for the entry conditions of each college.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Finance, Industrial Design, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Campuses in Melbourne, Brunswick, Bundoora and Point Cook, branch campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, European centre in Barcelona.
Research:
Design, engineering, science and technology, business and law, social context.
Famous Alumnis:
Lydia Lassila, Jim Stynes, James Wan, James Tomkins, Rove McManus, Judith Durham, Greig Fraser, John Safran
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2558
Current students***:
95000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
City campus in the heart of Melbourne, about 95,000 students, campuses in Vietnam, flight training at Point Cook, long industry tradition.
Cons
Very large institution, city campus with limited green space, competition for design places.
Best For
Students who want practical, design and technology education in central Melbourne with international campuses.
Official Linkedin
Official Facebook
Official X / Twitter
Linkedin Alumni Page
Most Similar Schools Locally
University of Technology Sydney works in much the same fields, chiefly finance, industrial design and civil engineering, and it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes.
Swinburne University of Technology takes a similar route through industrial design, data analytics and software engineering, and it covers astroscience and robotics as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 65,979 students against roughly 95,000 here.
Queensland University of Technology sits close to this university on finance, industrial design and civil engineering; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers robotics and life sciences as well.
The comparison with Monash University is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on industrial design, data analytics and software engineering, and it also offers graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes and covers chemistry and physics as well.
Another national school that puts finance, industrial design and data analytics at the centre is University of South Australia, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Central Florida offers an international parallel to this institution, with finance, aerospace and data analytics as common ground; it is slightly smaller, at about 70,674 students against roughly 95,000 here, and is also a public institution.
For industrial design, civil engineering and electrical and electronics outside the home country, National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan is a natural reference; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers materials and life sciences as well.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on industrial design, civil engineering and data analytics is Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, and it covers logistics and materials as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 33,900 students against roughly 95,000 here.
The closest overseas parallel on finance, data analytics and software engineering is George Mason University, located in the United States; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers statistics and ecology and sustainability as well.
For a study option in China with a comparable spread of electrical and electronics, data analytics and software engineering, Shenzhen University is the reference point: it is smaller, enrolling about 48,865 students against roughly 95,000 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is RMIT University?
In the Melbourne central business district, with its original building at the corner of Bowen Street and La Trobe Street.
When was it founded?
On 4 June 1887, as the Working Men's College of Melbourne.
Who founded it?
Francis Ormond, who donated 5,000 pounds.
When did it become RMIT University?
On 1 July 1992, after merging with the Phillip Institute of Technology.
How many students does it have?
About 95,000 higher education and vocational students.
How many colleges does it have?
Four.
Where is flight training held?
At Point Cook, RAAF Williams.
Which campuses does it have in Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, plus a training centre in Da Nang.
Does it have a centre in Europe?
Yes, in Barcelona since 2013.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Aeronautics, Design Thinking, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
Innovation.world is not affiliated with this school/university. We recommend to contact them directly on their website for any special request.
To complete or correct any information here or share your opinion, please comment below or > send us a direct message <.
