Open Universities in Australia

Access open university for flexible online university courses and degrees from Australian universities. Start your study journey today.

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Access degrees and courses from the Australian online university of your choice.

Choose open universities for online degrees and courses that are accessible and in high demand. You can enroll in bachelor degrees and postgraduate courses, including graduate certificates, graduate diplomas, and masters degrees. University study is available for online learners.

What is an Open University?

In Australia, an open university provides flexible access to higher education by offering a strong selection of online degrees. Large numbers of bachelor and postgraduate students are able to enroll in fully online programs.

An open university is defined as having over 1,000 undergraduate and 1,000 postgraduate online students. At least 15% of total enrolments are external, demonstrating the university's commitment to accessible online learning.

Based on recent enrolment statistics, Australia has 18 open universities:

Postgraduate Online Universities

Some Australian universities are considered "open" primarily for postgraduate courses. These universities offer strong online programs for graduates. Each has over 1,000 students enrolled in online postgraduate courses, accounting for at least 20% of graduate school enrolments.

The open (postgraduate) universities in Australia are:

  1. University of Newcastle (51% of postgraduate students are online)
  2. Victoria University (43%)
  3. University of Canberra (26%)
  4. UTS (25%)
  5. UNSW Sydney (24%)
  6. RMIT University (23%)
  7. University of Adelaide (22%)
  8. Monash University (21%)

Open Universities

Adelaide University campus sign

Adelaide University Online

Adelaide University launches in 2026, with online and on-campus degrees in health, engineering, education, humanities, business, and more.

Charles Darwin University campus sign

CDU Online

Charles Darwin University (CDU) offers flexible online bachelor and postgraduate courses with 24/7 support and a mobile-friendly platform.

Charles Sturt University campus sign

Charles Sturt University Online

Charles Sturt University (CSU) offers hundreds of online university courses at all levels, with flexible study options and daily support.

CQUniversity campus sign

CQUniversity Online

CQUniversity offers 200+ online courses, flexible study options, 24/7 support, and access to on-campus resources and 200+ exam centres.

Curtin University campus logo

Curtin University Online

Curtin University offers flexible online courses in health, commerce, and more, plus options for micro-credentials and digital certifications.

Deakin University building sign

Deakin University Online

Deakin University offers flexible online courses in fields like AI, business, and psychology with career support through DeakinTALENT.

Campus-Focused Unis

Around a dozen Australian universities participate in distance education but without being a "go-to" destination for prospective online learners. Some are smaller and have fewer than 1,000 online students. Others offer limited online programs, with no more than 15% of their total student population online, showing patchy course availability.

"Closed" Universities

Universities that are not open offer few, opportunities to study online with them remotely. Each of these unis each have fewer than 1,000 online students and less than 15% of their total enrolments online: