Timeline
Charles Sturt University's story begins with the establishment of the Bathurst Experiment Farm in 1895. The farm was designed to educate students and local farmers in agriculture. That was our first step in connecting people, communities and industry to make a real difference.
Since then the university has grown considerably, establishing new centres of learning and research, merging with other education providers, and partnering with industry and government.
Charles Sturt University was formally incorporated on 19 July 1989 under the Charles Sturt University Act 1989. Today, we are Australia's largest regional university and the country's most experienced online university.*
Here are some of the key events in our history.
Year | Event |
| 1895 | Establishment of Bathurst Experiment Farm. |
| 1896 | Establishment of Wagga Experiment Farm. |
| 1947 | Founding of Wagga Wagga Teachers’ College. |
| 1949 | Wagga Agricultural College established on the site of the Wagga Experiment Farm. |
| 1951 | Bathurst Teachers’ College established on the site of the Bathurst Experiment Farm. |
| 1971 | Bathurst Teachers’ College reformed as the Mitchell College of Advanced Education. |
| 1972 | Wagga Wagga Teachers’ College reformed as the Riverina College of Advanced Education. |
| 1976 | Merger of the Wagga Agricultural College with the Riverina College of Advanced Education. |
| 1982 | Dissolution of the Goulburn College of Advanced Education. |
| 1984 | Relocation of the NSW Police College (now the NSW Police Academy) from Redfern to the former site of the Goulburn College of Advanced Education. |
| 1985 | Riverina College of Advanced Education re-named the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education, with campuses in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga. |
| 1989 | Merger of the Mitchell College of Advanced Education with the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education and incorporation of Charles Sturt University with campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. |
| 1993 | Transfer of the Robinson Education Centre site in Broken Hill to Charles Sturt University by the University of New South Wales. |
| 1998 | Establishment of former Goulburn College of Advanced Education precinct as a university campus with the signing of a contract with the NSW Police Service to provide policing education. Establishment of a new campus in Canberra to house the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture through a Deed of Agreement and Lease with the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. |
| 1999 | Opening of a new campus in Dubbo in western NSW. |
| 2005 | Establishment of a new campus in Ontario and accreditation by provincial government to operate as a university. |
| 2006 | Transfer of the Orange campus of the University of Sydney (formerly Orange Agricultural College) to Charles Sturt. Establishment of Study Centres for international students in metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne. |
| 2012 | Opening of a new campus in Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast of NSW. |
| 2015 | Opening of Wangaratta Regional Study Centre in northern Victoria. Closure of Ontario campus. |
| 2016 | Establishment of a Study Centre for international students in Brisbane. Charles Sturt University is declared Australia's First Official Carbon Neutral University by the Federal Department of the Environment. |
| 2019 | Becomes a member of the Regional Universities Network. |
| 2022 | Closure of Study Centres in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. |
| 2024 | Opening of purpose-built Charles Sturt University campus in Sydney. |
*Department of Education, Skills and Employment Higher Education Studies
