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

Griffith University campus sign

Griffith University Online

Griffith University’s Digital campus offers 100+ online degrees in business, law, and more, with part-time, full-time, and accelerated study.

James Cook University logo on tablet

JCU Online

JCU Online offers degrees in nursing, business, and social work with fully online and mixed-mode options, plus resources and support.

La Trobe University campus sign

La Trobe University Online

La Trobe University offers online courses in business, health, and more. StudyFlex lets students blend online and on-campus learning.

Monash University campus sign

Monash Online

Monash Online has programs like an MBA and computer science masters. Study part-time and advance your career with Monash Uni online courses.

QUT campus location sign

QUT Online

QUT Online is a flexible study option for postgraduate courses, with weekly modules, Canvas-based lessons, peer discussion and live sessions.

RMIT University building sign

RMIT Online

RMIT Online provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and short courses in business, data science, and cybersecurity with industry input.

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: