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Sunshine Coast bucks national trend
13 January, 2006
Despite widespread media reports of a national downturn in the number of university applications, the University of the Sunshine Coast is going against the trend attracting up to 30 per cent more first preference applications in 2006 than last year.
USC offered more than 2200 people a university place yesterday in the first round of offers, and since October 2005 when QTAC began collating application numbers, USC has maintained a steady 25 to 30 per cent increase in the number of first preference applications.
"There has been a dramatic increase in the number of students choosing to study at USC in 2006," Professor Greg Hill, USC Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said.
"We have introduced a range of new undergraduate degrees for this year which have attracted new students and our popular courses in Arts, Biomedical Science, Education, Nursing, Sport and Exercise, Journalism and Accounting also attracted a large number of applications.
"The reputation of the University is growing. We focus on making the university experience more personal. We have smaller class sizes and lecturers and tutors are more easily accessible than in larger institutions. It is something we hear again and again from our students.
"In the recent Learning and Teaching Performance Fund exercise, USC ranked number two in Australian for student satisfaction with their educational experience.
"We also offer a wide range of support services, both academic and personal, to help students succeed in their degree and ultimately find employment on graduation," he said.
The University also offers students the chance to take part in industry internships and work placements.
"Employers need graduates with practical skills to support the theory they learn in the lecture theatre," Professor Hill said.
"Being a regional university we have strong links with local industry and businesses, which provide our students with unique opportunities to integrate their knowledge in a practical setting. Often these internships and industry networking opportunities lead to employment for our students.
The location of the university also attracts people to USC.
"A lot of local school leavers simply don't want to leave the Coast to study in Brisbane. The support of family and friends is a key component of university success, and being near the Coast has definite lifestyle benefits for our students too," he said.