University profile

Explore a snapshot of key information about the university, including our rankings, history, social responsibility and values.

    Victoria University (VU) is the university of the west.

    As one of 39 public universities in Australia, graduates can be assured their qualification from VU is being awarded from a university operating in a world-class education system.

      Approach to teaching & learning at VU

      University of the west

      Sport at Victoria University

      Equality, inclusion & belonging

      Moondani Balluk – Indigenous Academic Unit

      Our history

      VU Values

      The VU Values are that we are always:

      • welcoming
      • ethical
      • shaping the future
      • together.

      They form the acronym ‘WEST’. So, we are ‘always west’ and this is symbolic of place. The west of Melbourne is the heart of VU – the centre from which we serve communities across Australia and overseas.

      While we have always taken a values-based approach to our work at VU, our new values are an opportunity to express and further articulate our moral purpose more distinctly.

      Our values are a living set of actions that underpin our moral purpose, this is The VU Way, which is to transform the lives and communities we serve.

      VU’s values go beyond vocabulary they are a reflection of our beliefs and our ethics which in turn influences our practice.

      West of Melbourne charter

      Read about our commitment to the west of Melbourne, what we are doing and what we're striving for.

      Values fact sheet

      Three men in suits stand with a woman wearing a Treaty t-shirt in front of an Indigenous design over a doorway
      Strategic plan
      Our Strategic Plan 2022-2028: Start well, finish brilliantly has a clear purpose and strong vision. We are excited about what Victoria University will be in 2028. And it has already begun.
      Young woman in a T-Shirt with the Aboriginal flag in front of a large green plant, smiling
      Protecting Country
      We are committed to Protecting Country, and developing indigenous-led cultural, social and climate solutions that benefit people, place and planet.
      Two women planting trees at the community tree planting day 2022
      Sustainability at VU
      We are committed to leading by example and taking care of our own backyard. We are making all Victoria University campuses and spaces welcoming, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

      Our teaching achievements

      VU achieved university status in 1991, but our preceding institutions date back to 1916. Today, we have over 40,000 enrolled higher education, and vocational education and training students studying on our campuses.

      Being a dual-sector university means that our students can easily pathway from vocational education to higher education - such as from a certificate or diploma course through to an undergraduate degree or even a postgraduate qualification by coursework or research.

      VU has received the following rankings:

      • ranked in the world’s top 2% (Times Higher Education – THE – World University Rankings)
      • ranked 45 in the world’s top universities aged under 50 (THE Young University Rankings 2019)
      • ranked number one in Australia for professional skills^ (2022 QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey).  

      Read about our global ranking and awards

      VU Block Model®
      Discover the award-winning VU Block Model® where students complete one subject at a time - learning in interactive, workshop-style classes.
      Read more

      Meet our students

      Discover some of the key characteristics of our students:

      • Slightly over 40% of VU’s students live in the western Melbourne region.
      • 47% of our higher education students are the first in their family to undertake a degree.
      • 59% of new domestic commencements at VU each year are vocational education and training (VET) students.
      • Over 30% of our domestic students were born in another country.
      • 49% of our students come from a non-English speaking background.