Address: Kent Street, 6102 Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
Science and Engineering, Business and Law, Health Sciences, Humanities, Mining
Curtin University has its roots in the tertiary programmes of the Perth Technical College, which opened in 1900. It was founded in 1966 as the Western Australian Institute of Technology, and the first students enrolled in 1967. In 1969 it merged with the Kalgoorlie School of Mines, Muresk Agricultural College and the Schools of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. In December 1986 it became a university under the WAIT Amendment Act 1986 and took the name Curtin University of Technology, and in 2010 it dropped the words of Technology. It is named after John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945, and its motto is Look ever forward.
The main campus is at Bentley, on 116 hectares about six kilometres south-east of the centre of Perth. In the city, the Graduate School of Business and the law school are on Murray Street, and the university also uses 139 St Georges Terrace. The medical campus at Midland opened in November 2019. In regional Western Australia the WA School of Mines at Kalgoorlie is the largest regional campus, and micro-campuses operate in Esperance, Margaret River and Geraldton.
Curtin also has campuses abroad. The Miri campus in Sarawak, Malaysia, has operated since 1999 and has a purpose-built campus from 2002 with about 4,000 students. The Singapore campus opened in November 2008 and moved to a new site in 2022, Dubai followed in April 2017, Mauritius in May 2018 and Colombo in 2024.
In 2023 the university enrolled 61,193 students, among them 39,852 undergraduates, 9,617 coursework postgraduates and 1,897 research postgraduates, and it employed 3,820 full-time equivalent staff, 1,717 of them academic. The main academic units are the Centre for Aboriginal Studies and the faculties of Business and Law, Health Sciences, Humanities, and Science and Engineering.
Alumni include Michaelia Cash, a former Attorney-General of Australia, the actress Judy Davis, the author Tim Winton, the musician John Butler and the presenter Carrie Bickmore. Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Astroscience, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie, campuses in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, and a medical campus at Midland.
Research:
Science and engineering, mining, health sciences, business and law, humanities and Aboriginal studies.
Famous Alumnis:
Michaelia Cash, Judy Davis, Tim Winton, John Butler, Carrie Bickmore
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3820
Current students***:
61193
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Large Perth university with international campuses, strong science, engineering and mining, WA School of Mines, modern Bentley campus.
Cons
Main campus is outside the centre of Perth, high fees for international students, Perth is remote from other large Australian cities.
Best For
Students seeking a large technology-oriented university in Perth with campuses in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of astroscience, marine science and chemistry can consider University of Western Australia, and it covers agriculture and ecology and sustainability as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 29,426 students against roughly 61,193 here.
Monash University takes a similar route through chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it covers industrial design and software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 86,600 students against roughly 61,193 here.
Among national alternatives, University of Sydney stands out for its focus on marine science, chemistry and physics, and it is slightly larger, at about 70,300 students against roughly 61,193 here, and is also a public institution.
For students who like the chemistry, physics and mathematics focus of this institution but want another option nearby, Deakin University fits well: it also offers graduate diploma programmes and covers ecology and sustainability and software engineering as well.
For students who like the chemistry, physics and mathematics focus of this institution but want another option nearby, University of New South Wales fits well: it covers finance and software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 82,300 students against roughly 61,193 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Abroad, University of Cape Town (South Africa) covers astroscience, chemistry and physics in a comparable way, and it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here.
University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa shares the astroscience, chemistry and physics orientation of this institution, and it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here.
Beyond national borders, University of Granada stands out as a comparable school for astroscience, chemistry and physics; it does not run the graduate certificate and mba programmes found here and covers software engineering as well.
Soochow University, based in China, is built around chemistry, physics and mathematics much like this university, and it is smaller, enrolling about 39,000 students against roughly 61,193 here, and is also a public institution.
If this institution is on your list for chemistry, physics and mathematics, Seoul National University in South Korea deserves a comparison, because it does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here and covers agriculture and electrical and electronics as well.
*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 Curtin University?
The main campus is at Bentley, about six kilometres south-east of the centre of Perth, Western Australia.
When was it founded?
In 1966 as the Western Australian Institute of Technology, with the first students in 1967.
When did it become a university?
In December 1986, as Curtin University of Technology; it dropped the words of Technology in 2010.
Who is it named after?
John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945.
What is its motto?
Look ever forward.
How many students does it have?
61,193 in 2023, including 39,852 undergraduates.
Which international campuses does it have?
Miri in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Mauritius and Colombo.
What is the WA School of Mines?
The largest regional campus, in Kalgoorlie.
When did the Midland medical campus open?
In November 2019.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for domestic and international students. Check the current tariff.
Astrophysics, Biology, 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.
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